Runaway
by nipplequeen
Summary: Hinata Hyuga has run away from Konoha. She stumbles in a clearing and collapses, only seconds from death. An unexpected person comes to her rescue. Will she return to Konoha or start a new life?
1. Chapter 1

**This is the first fanfiction I've ever written so bear with me ^_^**

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The heiress gripped her arm, attempting to stop the blood leaking from the wound her father gave her half an hour ago. Tears streamed down her face. She didn't know where she was going; she just blindly ran out of the Konoha gates into the endless forests with no sense of direction. Her chakra levels were well below average and the pain she was in was beginning to become unbearable. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck clearly showing the signs of her exhaustion.

_"Hinata Hyuga, you are not worthy of becoming the heiress of the clan. If you continue to ruin your clan's name and reputation I will have no choice but to remove that title from you and hand it down to your younger sister. Not only will it save the clan from embarrassment, but you as well. I'm doing this as your father as well as the clan leader. I expect you to improve and impress me."_ After that, her father attacked, showing no mercy, not even attempting to hold back, resulting in Hinata getting beaten up to the point where she could hardly breathe. Feeling embarrassed, angry and upset at the same time, the young girl fled.

Shaking the flashback out of her mind, Hinata continued to limp forward. She could feel her body getting weaker as the dark clouds approached, showing that a storm was coming. The weather was beginning to match the Hyuga's mood. As her head began to pound, Hinata went dizzy. The forest began spinning around and around, the faces of her disappointed family surrounded her, their insults building up. "Not good enough." "A disgrace to the family name" "Why can't you be more like your cousin or your sister." "Your mother wouldn't be proud of you now." Her tears began to build up even more before trickling down her pale cheeks. Not watching where she was going, Hinata's foot got caught on a tree root and she fell. Her body landed on the ground with a loud thud and instead of trying to get up, she lay there, sobbing to herself.

Sensing another person's chakra, the dark haired individual masked his own and approached the intruder. Zetsu was busy taking care of some things for Akatsuki and Madara was being...Madara, so it was up to him to get rid of the pest. Silently slipping from shadow to shadow, he reached the clearing and stopped dead in his tracks. A girl with long indigo hair and a white kimono lay on the grass as if they were sleeping. Cautiously, the shadowed man approached the woman, his eyes widening when he saw the bruises covering her small body and the deep wound in her right arm. The sleeve of the white kimono was drenched in blood. _Should I help her or leave her here? _He asked himself. _We are short on hands but..._ The girl whimpered in her sleep, her brows furrowed, showing that she was in distress. The boy crouched down and placed his hands on her forehead, transferring chakra to ease her pain and trying to see what was disturbing the girl so much.

_Many faces of pale-eyed people were gathered around her, pointing and laughing, shouting insults and telling her that she's weak. Several kunai were thrown at her and each member of the circle took it in turns to hit her. "Stop, please." the girls' voice pleaded. "I don't want this anymore, please. I'm sorry." The laughter continued, getting louder and louder until the girl cracked and fell to her knees in the dirt, begging for them to stop._

He removed his hands and stared down at the sleeping girl. He frowned as he contemplated what to do. Usually, he would just leave the girl but something was telling him to take her in. Thunder boomed up ahead and rain fell down like a thousand bullets. "You're not going to leave her, are you?" White Zetsu rose up out of the ground, grinning at the boy. It wasn't like him to just stare at something with an expression of confusion. "Why not?" The young boy questioned Zetsu, dragging his gaze over to the strange man. "She's a pretty thing and she's from Konoha, I'm sure we can find some use of her." The boy didn't reply, instead he lowered his gaze to the girl. The rain was washing away some of the blood but if he left her, she'd probably die. "There's a cave a few meters north, take her there. I'll tell Madara about the situation." Zetsu chuckled to himself before disappearing into the ground.

Her nightmares had gone and now she could sleep peacefully. She had dreams about her past with her mother and when they would spend time together, gardening and cooking. These were the only happy memories the Hyuga had. Once her mother had died, she had no-one left. Her father thought she was a disappointment, she was constantly forced to fight with her sister and her cousin was too overprotective. The rest of the clan looked at her with pity and anger, feeling sorry for the heiress and angry that she's been chosen and not someone a lot stronger.

For the first time in 7 years, Hinata Hyuga felt warm. Even when she was asleep, she could feel someone caring for her and taking care of her wounds. She sensed that there were bandages covering her eyes. It felt real, but she was sure it wasn't real. A hand pressed to her forehead and she opened her eyes and sat up abruptly. The action had felt so real. She began to panic. _What if I've been taken back to Konoha? Did my father find me? Did he send out the anbu? Does he even care? Am I going to be treated worse or better?_ Her questions were left unanswered as she never said them out loud. As if sensing her panic, someone's hands gripped her shoulders lightly and pushed her back to lie down. "Don't move." a voice commanded. It sounded cold and harsh but at the same time, it sounded like the owner of that voice had been through a lot of pain. "W-where am I?" The heiress moved her hands around the floor, trying to feel if she was indoors or outdoors. She felt cold stone and dirt. "You're in a cave." The voice answered. "Away from Konoha?" she waited nervously for the response. "Yes, away from Konoha." He said the name as if it were dirt. "Who-" Hinata began, before being cut off by the voice. "Just go back to sleep, you won't get better otherwise." The person sounded irritated so the heiress closed her mouth and tried to fall asleep once again.

"Why have you covered her eyes, little one?" Madara slinked out from the shadows, grinning at the young man, his long hair swaying lightly across his back. "Are you being extra secure? Or are you scared incase the sweet little thing recognizes you and runs all the way back to her village. The dark haired boy glared at Madara, his bangs sweeping across his cheeks. "Judging by her chakra flow, her eyes take up a lot of it showing that she does in fact have an optical bloodline limit. If she were to wake up not knowing where she is, she'd immediately activate it and begin to panic, causing us a lot of trouble and her a lot of pain. I couldn't care less if she runs back to Konoha and even then I highly doubt that she will." He sighed. That was the most he had spoken for a long time. Madara silently laughed. "What makes you so sure of that?" The young boy raised his eyebrows and let out another long sigh. "Because when I found her she was screaming in her sleep so I decided to see what was making her scream by looking into her mind. Sadly, the dobe isn't dead. She was being abused. When I found her it also looked like she was trying to run away. So she was either being pursued or running away from Konoha." Madara's eyes widened slightly. _He must be able to relate to it in some way if he's reacted like this._

Upon hearing another voice, Hinata let herself lay there half asleep, listening in on their conversation. She knew it was rude but the conversation sounded quite serious and interesting. Her ears perked up when she heard them discussing what her savior had seen. She was shocked to find that he had looked into her mind. They were her own memories and her own mind, how dare he look in on her private thoughts and memories. Even though he had only seen that one nightmare, it still annoyed her. All her life she had people sticking their noses into her business, her own personal things that had nothing to do with them and she didn't want that to continue with complete strangers. Her own privacy was invaded and no person likes that, especially not this girl.

Madara glanced at the sleeping girl. He noticed for himself that she wasn't sleeping and that she was in fact awake and very aware of their conversation. Even if she couldn't see them nor did she know who they were, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that her life could be in danger. Madara pondered about what to do. _Maybe…I could ruin his plans on remaining anonymous. _Smiling to himself under his mask, Madara cleared his throat. "So…what are we going to do with her…Sasuke?"


	2. Offering

**I'm actually really happy, people seemed to like my last chapter**

**Thank you for the reviews and advice, I'll keep them in mind when I'm writing ^-^**

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Hinata gasped and Sasuke's head snapped in her direction. Madara's grin widened under the mask. Hinata felt dizzy again. She couldn't believe that Sasuke had helped her and took care of her. The Sasuke she knew back in the academy days didn't like looking at other people so the thought of him actually helping her and taking care of her seemed less and less possible. It had to be another Sasuke from another village who happened to be travelling, Sasuke Uchiha wouldn't dream of helping anyone.

Sasuke glared at Madara, hate dancing in his eyes. _He did that on purpose._ He growled at the masked man. Hinata was lost for words. She didn't know how to react. Should she be happy or should she just lie there, focusing on her own thoughts.

The Uchiha turned on his heel and stomped out of the cave, pausing for a moment to slam his fist into the wall of the cave, causing small bits of stone to crumble and fall, before continuing out of the cave.

"Oh dear. Seems like little Sasuke's in a bad mood." Madara announced sarcastically, his eyes back on the 'sleeping girl' "Now, little one. There's no need to pretend to be asleep anymore." Hinata froze for a moment before taking a deep breath. She then began attempting to lift herself up, wincing at the sharp pain in her arm. It was healing pretty well but there was still a long way to go.

Madara noticed the young girl struggling and bent down in front of her. "Can you tell me your name?" Madara went to look into her eyes but then realized they were covered by bandages. He reached behind her head, untied the knot and slowly began unraveling it. The girl frowned as she felt the bandages coming loose. "My name is…Hinata." She whispered. The bandages finally fell from her face and she opened her eyes.

In front of her was a man with a strange orange mask with only one eyehole surrounded by a bed of spiky, black hair. The Akatsuki cloak was wrapped around his body, the darkness of it almost blending in with the cave. She blinked and a few seconds passed. She could sense that something is amusing the person behind the mask but she was too tired to ask. "A Hyuga, eh." He mumbled. Her eyes widened, a look of panic engraved into her face.

"I'm not going to hurt you. If anyone's going to hurt you, it'll be Sasuke." The man sat down and crossed his legs, grinning at her under his mask. "My name is Madara." Hinata gasped, her eyes widening even more. "A-as in…Madara Uchiha?" she stuttered. He nodded. "I thought you were-" She was cut off by him finishing her sentence. "Dead? Yes, I guess I should be dead by now. Things happened." He waved his hand in front of him as if he was brushing off the subject. "What I want to know is why you were in the middle of the forest, passed out and on the verge of dying." He lifted his hand to his face and rested his elbow on his leg. If she could see his face beyond the mask she'd see an obvious look of curiosity.

"I…ran away." Hinata lowered her gaze to her hands. Her hands sat on her lap, the right one on top of the left. It was the way she was taught to sit when in the presence of an elder. "If you don't mind me asking…why did you run away? You seem like you're the oldest child, you're the heiress, right? Shouldn't you be leading your clan?" Hinata flinched at the mention of her being the heiress. "I was meant to be the heiress," she paused and raised her head to put her gaze back on Madara. "I'm not good enough though. I'm not strong enough…" her voice wavered slightly before she swallowed and continued. "My father wants to hand my title down to my younger sister. Before I left, he humiliated me in front of the entire clan. That's why I'm in this…condition"

Madara's eyes widened slightly at how the Hyuga's father had treated her and how he obviously disliked her for some reason. He could tell that the girl wasn't weak but she wasn't very strong either. "I'd had enough so I ran. Without even thinking, I just ran out." She smiled sadly to herself. "They probably think I'm even weaker now." Madara blinked and stood up, his gaze never leaving Hinata's face. "If they think you're weak, prove them wrong. Running away doesn't mean you're weak either." He turned away from her and looked at the light at the end of the long tunnel. "I'm not one for encouraging people and I can't relate to your situation at all. However, I do know that there is always someone who looks up to you. Someone who has things they can't do but you can."

_"Hinata! Hinata! Can you teach me how to cook please? Your cooking's so good and mine is…well…" Hanabi shouted, jumping at Hinata's legs, pulling at her black t-shirt, her eyes pleading. "You're better at cooking than me, please. I want to learn. I want to be like you."_

_"Oh wow. They're so pretty." A voice whispered from behind Hinata. She turned and smiled at her sister. "Want to help me plant some more?" she asked and turned back to watering the roses that were surrounding their mothers grave. Hanabi's eyes lit up with excitement and she hugged her sister's leg._

Madara turned his head and looked back at the girl. She had tears running down her cheeks, her mouth shaped into a softer smile. "Your clan just expect too much of you. Your father is very strong so they expect you to surpass him. He wants you to surpass him so he's harsh with you." Madara turned his gaze back to the light. "It's no excuse though. If you don't want to go back, don't. I'm not going to throw you out. In fact, I think you'd be a great addition to my…organization. We'd happily help you become stronger. Maybe then you'll be able to face your clan."

Hinata wiped her tear stained cheeks and looked at the figure of the man stood in the light. "A-are you asking me to…join Akatsuki?" her voice was rough. She hadn't had anything to drink for ages and her mouth felt like sandpaper. Madara took slow steps towards the end of the cave. "It's up to you. We're not as bad as people make us out to be. We have a dream and like everyone else, we'll do everything we can to reach that dream. Whether you want to join or not is up to you." He paused at the mouth of the cave before shouting back "And when I say we need someone like you, I mean it." With those last words, he disappeared.

Hinata frowned. She was so confused. Everyone said the Akatsuki were bad people who only went around hurting people. She hadn't even considered that they had a dream, something they really want. The sound of someone else disturbed her from her thoughts. Next to her, the upper half of a body was coming out of the ground. One side was black, the other was white. Her eyes narrowed slightly, staring at the strange person that was next to her.

"Madara said to give you these." The person said as he threw several rolls of bandages and the traditional Akatsuki cloak at her. She hadn't even given her answer to him and yet he was already offering her a cloak. "Um...I-" She began just as his voice, a lot lower and colder than before, spoke up "He said to just take them. You have nothing else and your current outfit is ruined." The person nodded at her and then sunk back into the ground, not leaving any trace of his presence.

Footsteps echoed in the cave, approaching her once again. _Another one?_ She turned her gaze to the front of the cave again. Stood above her was Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha. Her jaw dropped. It wasn't a lie, it was actually Sasuke Uchiha. He stood staring at her with emotionless eyes. If he was feeling anything at the moment, it wasn't showing on his face.

Sasuke stared at her. Without the bandages around her eyes, he could clearly see that she's a Hyuga. _The Sharingan, Rinnegan and now Byakugan? Akatsuki's got a lot of power in its hands right now._ She wasn't much younger than him and she was female, so she wasn't Neji. She must be Hinata. She'd grown up a lot since he last saw her. Her hair had grown a lot and she'd lost her baby face. Her cheeks that were once always red now looked like porcelain and she'd obviously developed quite a nice body.

She'd gone from being an average looking twelve year old to a naturally beautiful woman. Sasuke couldn't believe it. He abruptly tried to forget about that thought. She looked right back at him, confusion and fear showed clearly in her eyes. "What is it?" he asked, his voice echoing off the walls. Her eyes widened slightly before she looked at the materials in her hands. Sasuke followed her eyes.

"I…don't know." She mumbled. Hinata was confused by the materials sitting in her lap. Did Madara expect her to wear nothing under her cloak? As if reading her mind, Sasuke stepped towards her and crouched down, picking up the bandages and looked at her again, this time closer. She trembled slightly and he almost smirked with satisfaction. People still feared him and that was enough to keep him going on. "I think he might want you to wrap these all around your body. It would explain why he gave you so many."

Hinata nodded and Sasuke dropped the bandages back into her hands before standing up completely again and made his way towards the back of the cave. "I won't look." He disappeared into the shadows and Hinata looked back down at her lap. "How am I going to do this?" she mumbled to herself.


	3. Moving

**I'm still really happy with the response I'm getting from you guys, it's my first fanfic so I'm probably just overreacting :)**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

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Hinata wrapped the bandages tightly around the whole of her body before slipping the dark item of clothing over her shoulders. The colours made her skin and eyes look even paler than they are. The bandage pressed down on her breasts tightly, making her feel more uncomfortable. She made a mental note to make or find some new clothes.

Sasuke watched her once he knew she'd wrapped the bandages around herself. The girl was cautious, always looking around as she dressed herself, fear evident in her eyes. He watched as she picked up her blood stained kimono. She stared at it intensely, frowning as she bit down on her lip.

Hinata looked up into the shadows where she knew Sasuke was stood. She knew he'd been watching her stare at the kimono. "U-um…is there a river or something nearby?" She felt like she was talking to no one as she couldn't see anything in the shadows but she was very aware of his presence. His sandals slapped against the floor as he approached Hinata.

She looked so small and fragile, as if one touch would be all you needed to break her. It had been obvious as to what her question was going to be, the look in her eyes had said it all. "Not where we are now but where we're going there will be." He finally reached her and he was inches away from her. Plucking the blood-stained material from her hands, he held it up and stared at it. "Blood this soaked in probably won't wash out." He dropped it into her hands and began to walk away.

"You mean…we're moving from here?" her eyes were back on the material, a thousand thoughts going through her mind at once. Sasuke stopped and looked at her. "We can't stay here forever, it's not the nicest of places to be." She nodded. "We'll be moving in about an hour so be prepared. People from your village are probably looking for you." He continued towards the exit of the cave.

"I doubt it." Hinata whispered to herself. Her clan had probably told everyone that she was away on a mission. No one would really notice her absence. Neji might, but everyone else would probably just forget about her existence. She leant back until her back met with the wall of the cave. She slid down until she was sat down, tears running down her cheeks once again.

Madara and Sasuke entered the cave, side by side. You could sense the tension between the two from a mile away. Every few steps, Sasuke would glare at Madara from the corner of his eye. Madara would just smirk under his mask and continue being silent. Sasuke sped up. He told himself it was because he couldn't stand being near Madara any longer. It wasn't because he wanted to see her face again.

Madara's smirk widened under the mask as he saw Sasuke speed up when Hinata was coming into sight. They both crouched down to look at her at the same time. They both stared at her sleeping. She looked peaceful compared to when she had slept in front of them before. Sasuke stretched out his hand towards her shoulder to wake her up but Madara grabbed his wrist and pulled it back before he could.

Sasuke frowned at Madara. "We can use my transportation jutsu, let the girl sleep." Madara said quietly. Even though it was only just over a whisper, Sasuke could hear the power and authority. He nodded and stood up.

Madara gently lifted the sleeping girl and put her over his shoulder. She was still clinging onto her kimono from the other night. He guessed that she had some sort of emotional connection to it and chose not to take it off her and leave it here. After all, he wanted her on his side.

"Let's go, Sasuke." Sasuke nodded and Madara's sharingan glowed red. Everything began to get sucked into a spiral. Looking back into the distorted cave for one last time, Sasuke inwardly smiled to himself. For some strange reason, he felt like he'd miss that cave. He blinked and then the cave completely disappeared from sight, replaced by another room.

The walls were black with silhouettes of trees painted red. Small torches were attached to the walls, providing little light, making the corridor seem even darker than it already was. Pebbles were scattered across the floor, their colours varying from light grey to dark green. Further down the corridor there were two doors. Behind one there were a large flight of stairs that led up to an upper floor. The upper floor was actually a large hollow oak tree Orochimaru had found a few years ago. The other door led to another long corridor, except the walls of this one weren't decorated with red trees, they had doors and archways. Go through the wrong one and you'd fall right into a trap that could kill you.

Sasuke made a mental note to mark those doors. _Though, I wouldn't mind too much if Madara or Karin walked into one of the ones that are meant to kill you slowly._ He chuckled to himself and walked down the corridor, his sandals scuffing on the pebbles.

Madara watched as Sasuke chuckled to himself and couldn't stop himself for grinning. He had a little surprise for Sasuke waiting in his room. A surprise that was sure to amuse him. He glanced at Hinata who was still sleeping and followed Sasuke towards the bedrooms.


	4. Surprise

**I don't feel as if this chapter is that good but I've spent like 3 days fussing over it so I just decided to post it**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

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A feeling of dread overwhelmed Sasuke as he got closer to his room. Madara seemed too enthusiastic to move and he could sense other presences in the hideout. He reached his door and paused once his hand touched the knob. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and was immediately tackled to the ground.

Hinata was woken up by high-pitched screaming and the sound of bodies falling. Lazily opening one eye, she saw the back of a red haired girl on top of Sasuke trying to kiss him while he was trying to move away and push her off at the same time. Madara's shoulders shook. If it wasn't for this small action, Hinata wouldn't have known that he found this amusing.

"Oh, Hinata, you're awake." Madara let her drop onto the ground behind him, landing delicately on her feet. She stepped forward slightly to take in the sight before her. "Karin, I thought you said you didn't like Sasuke?" A pale guy with white hair and purple eyes smirked. Next to him stood a taller, brown eyed, ginger man. He seemed nice enough but his build was enough to intimidate her.

"I-I don't! I'm just happy to see him, that's all." The redhead's cheeks were almost the same colour as her hair as she pushed her glasses up. Sasuke took this opportunity to throw her off him into the next wall. The girl sat slumped against the wall, biting her lip from the pain.

"Sasuke, can't you be-" Purple eyes turned to look at Sasuke but instead his eyes landed on Hinata. He jumped slightly and pointed at her. "Who's she? Why's she here? Why didn't you tell me there'd be another girl?" Sasuke went to open his mouth but before he could, the pale boy was on one knee in front of Hinata. "You, miss, are the one."

Hinata blinked twice at the boy on one knee in front of her. "Um…" she blushed slightly. He smiled at her, revealing rows of shark like teeth. The large ginger guy lifted him by the back of his collar and held him dangling in the air. "What he means to say is his name is Suigetsu. I am Juugo." Suigetsu struggled in Juugo's grasp before finally giving up and let himself hang there limply.

The redhead had recovered and was now limping towards Hinata. If looks could kill, Hinata would be dead. "What business do you have with Sasuke?" She narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. Sasuke smirked to himself and slowly walked next to Hinata. This didn't go unnoticed by the redhead and her glare intensified.

"It has nothing to do with you, Karin." Sasuke's face was almost emotionless. He was obviously irritated by her being here. Karin grunted and turned her head to the wall, hoping that Sasuke would give her attention. He didn't. "Why are you guys here?" Sasuke turned his attention towards Juugo and Suigetsu. They were still in front of Hinata, their eyes not leaving her.

"I thought you didn't like…females?" Suigetsu dragged his eyes away from Hinata to look at Sasuke. Sasuke shrugged and looked at Hinata. She was looking down at the floor. He stood in front of her to see if she would look up. When she didn't, he poked her forehead. "Hinata, pay attention. One of those two could have easily killed you by now." He pointed backwards towards the two males. Hinata met his eyes and her blush darkened.

"But t-they wouldn't." she said softly. She didn't stutter as much as she used to thanks to the confidence Kiba and Shino had given her back at the village. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her response and turned around to Juugo and Suigetsu. "You didn't answer my question, why are you here?"

"We thought we'd see how you're doing. We can now see that you're fine." Suigetsu mumbled. Juugo released his grip on his collar and Suigetsu dropped to the floor. He struggled to lift himself up off the floor. Juugo and Karin had already begun to walk out. Suigetsu leaned into Sasuke's ear. "Don't get rid of this one." He whispered. He walked past Sasuke and grinned at Hinata before running to catch up with his teammates.

"Well…now that the reunion is finished, I'll go and take care of some business. Sasuke, show Hinata the upper floor, I think she'll like it." Madara's voice echoed off the walls. He nodded at Sasuke and Hinata before disappearing.

Sasuke stared at Hinata. She was looking at the doors and walls with an interest like he'd never seen before. She looked like Sasuke did when he saw Itachi do something amazing when he was younger.

_Kunai came at him, hundreds at once. Everyone thought because he had his eyes closed, they'd get away with it. The kunai were inches away from him before he snapped his eyes open and dodged every single one of them. Everyone clapped. "That was amazing as always, Itachi." His father nodded towards Itachi and walked away._

_Sasuke's eyes were twinkling and his mouth was open in the biggest smile he'd ever given. "Brother! Brother! Teach me how to do that please? It was so amazing!" Sasuke jumped up and down while waving his arms. Itachi motioned for him to come closer and Sasuke ran towards him, giggling. Itachi reached out two fingers and poked Sasuke in the forehead, affection all over his face. "Sorry, Sasuke. Next time, okay?" he smiled down at his younger brother._

Sasuke shook the memory out of his head. He didn't want to remember. "S-Sasuke…um…are you ok?" Hinata looked up at Sasuke. For a brief second, she saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. As soon as she spoke, it disappeared. "Let's go." He turned on his heel and walked at a fast pace. Hinata had to run to catch up with him.

Hinata sensed something and activated her byakugan. Just as Sasuke was about to open a door, she grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Out of surprise, Sasuke twisted and lost his balance. He ended up falling on top of Hinata. He lifted himself up onto his elbows and looked down.

Her face was flushed and her mouth was opened slightly. "Hinata, what's-" he was cut short by her hand covering his mouth and then moving to his cheek. Her finger traced a faint scar that was close to his left eye. "Where'd you get this?" she asked softly, her eyes and finger not leaving the scar. Sasuke gulped and felt his cheeks begin to go red. He hadn't been this close to someone and felt nervous before.

"I-I was training with…um…Orochimaru a-and he managed to get me with a…I think it was a kunai…probably…and…" he mumbled. Hinata looked up and met his eyes. He looked straight back at her, his eyes giving away that he was nervous. "Sasuke?" she whispered. Without realising what he was doing, he lowered himself down until his face was centimetres away from hers. "S-Sasuke?" she whispered again, this time a lot softer.


	5. Discovery

**Eh, I'm sorry about the long wait again _**

**The next few chapters might be out a bit later than I'd like because I have a chinese exam coming up so I'm sorry.**

**Thank you for all the reviews as well c:**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

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He leaned in closer, his eyes never leaving hers. He frowned slightly before his expression went back to being blank and emotionless. "Hinata…did you know-" he began to murmur. "Oh my, what do we have here? Taking advantage of the situation, Sasuke?" Sasuke turned his head towards Madara and frowned again. Madara had a large box in his hands. If Sasuke could see behind his mask, he'd see Madara grinning.

"No." Sasuke lifted himself up to his feet and Hinata followed. She looked nervously between the two men. "What's in the box?" Sasuke's frown didn't leave his face. He looked like he really wanted to kill Madara. "Well, with me being such a lovely person, I decided to visit Hinata's old room." Hinata's eyes widened slightly.

"I thought the bandages would be uncomfortable so I got her some appropriate clothing." Madara dropped the box and Sasuke stared at him, his sharingan activated. "Now, Sasuke. No need to be so untrustworthy. I'm a good person." Madara put on an overly happy voice and raised his right hand. "Later." His body twisted into a spiral and then he was gone.

Sasuke turned his head towards Hinata who was staring at the box with her byakugan activated. He sighed. "What are you doing, Hinata?" She raised her eyes and the veins at the sides of her face receded. "Well…It's just…I thought there might be something dangerous in there or he could've got Hanabi's clothes instead of mine…" Blush crept up on her cheeks. "S-Sasuke…you can stop with the sharingan." She ducked her head and stared at the floor.

Sasuke blinked and the sharingan was gone. Picking up the box, he smirked at Hinata. "Now you have proper clothes you can take the bandages off and stop walking like you've got…toilet issues." Her head snapped up and her eyes were wide. "S-Sasuke! That's not…I…" Sasuke chuckled and Hinata's eyes widened even more.

_"Mother! Father! Look! I got a flower." Hinata ran excitedly towards her mother and father, a huge smile plastered onto her face. She got that excited that she tripped over her kimono into the mud and crushed her flower. "Oh no!" She lifted herself up and cradled the flower in her hands. "This was mother and father's present and now it's ruined."_

_Tears fell into Hinata's hands and onto the flower. A masculine hand and a feminine hand placed themselves over the flower. Hinata looked up to see her mother and father smiling. "Hinata, dear, don't cry. There are plenty of pretty flowers that you can choose from. Want me to tell you my favourite?" her mother's voice was soft and warm; the smile on her face was genuine. Hinata nodded. "You. You're my favourite flower, Hinata." Her mother's smile widened and her dad chucked. "Yes, Hinata. You're our favourite flower."_

Someone was shaking Hinata's shoulders. She looked up and saw a concerned Sasuke. He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god, I thought you'd completely spaced out." She blinked twice at him. _This isn't the first time Sasuke's been nice to me…_"Um…S-Sasuke?" The concern disappeared and was replaced with his usual emotionless look. "What is it?" He dropped his hands from her shoulders. Before she could open her mouth to speak, he turned and began to walk away. "You can ask when I've shown you something."

"Close your eyes, Hyuga." Sasuke stood with his back against the door and stared at Hinata until she closed her eyes. He reached out and went to hold her hand. Just as their hands were going to touch, he quickly moved and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. "If you peek, I'll kill you." The Hyuga nodded and Sasuke opened the door, stepping in while dragging Hinata along with him. "You can look now."

Hinata opened her eyes and she couldn't stop her mouth from opening slightly. There were shelves filled with books lining all along one of the walls. The right wall was filled with drawings and paintings of landscapes and flowers. A particular one in the centre caught her eye.

The canvas was divided into two. On the left side, there were people everywhere, smiling and happy. In the background of the picture, there were two boys. One was carrying the other on the back, smiling at him. The smaller one was laughing, his eyes were scrunched up and his cheeks were pink.

On the right side, the little boy was there again. Except this time, there was no-one else in the picture. Only him stood in the centre. He didn't look happy anymore, he looked distraught. The emotion was gone from his eyes and his shoulders hung limply, bags under his eyes. The Uchiha clan symbol was on a wall behind him, cracked from the centre.

"I should take that down." Hinata averted her gaze to Sasuke. He was stood staring at the painting, a sad expression on his face. "No, don't." Hinata turned back to look at the painting just as Sasuke turned his head to her, shocked and curious. "It's…beautiful. It shows that there's more to you, Sasuke." She turned to him and smiled. "So don't take it down."

His eyes didn't leave Hinata's. He could see that she was serious and that she actually liked it. He lifted his hand and went to place it on her cheek, but settled with her shoulder instead. Hinata shook her head and he went to lift his hand off but she put her hand on top of it.

_Why am I doing this?_ Hinata stepped in closer to Sasuke and wrapped her arms around his torso, pressing her face into his chest. He stared down at her. _What should I do? _He moved his hand that was on her shoulder and wrapped it around the back of her neck, pulling her in closer. "Thank you." He whispered.


	6. Truth

**This chapter is considerably shorter...i didn't know what to write.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

* * *

If you were to walk into the room at the top floor of one of Orochimaru's hideouts, you wouldn't believe your eyes. No one could imagine that Sasuke Uchiha, the cold hearted avenger, would be hugging Hinata Hyuga, the shy timid girl. You wouldn't believe that Sasuke was crying and you wouldn't believe that he'd actually thanked someone.

"Hey, Hinata. What did you want to ask me earlier?" Sasuke whispered into Hinata's hair. It felt like silk on his nose. "I know the answer to what I was going to ask, it's okay." The Hyuga smiled against his chest. She could feel his tears dripping into her hair but she didn't mind. Everyone cries, no-one is strong enough not to.

"Mm. Okay then." He buried his face deeper into her hair and tightened his hold on her. It had been so long since he'd held someone like this. He hadn't wanted to have this sort of human contact since his clan were slaughtered. Hinata was definitely making him soft hearted.

It was amazing how such a shy girl could crack the walls he built around his heart. A girl he had barely noticed when he lived in Konoha. "I think I know what you were going to ask." Sasuke smirked slightly. Hinata pulled away slightly and looked at him with a light blush dusting her pale skin. "E-eh?" Hinata blinked.

"You were going to ask me why I took you in. I want to know what you think my answer would be." His smirk was on the verge of a proper smile. Hinata's blush darkened . "W-well it's probably b-because you were told t-to kill me a-and you're b-buttering me up? O-or is it because y-you just felt like it?" Sasuke's smirk faltered a bit before a new idea came into his head.

He stepped into her slowly and she stepped back. His eyes narrowed slightly before he carried on moving in closer until Hinata's back was against the wall. She lowered her gaze to his feet. Sasuke leaned against the wall with one arm and lifted her chin with his fingers using the other one. "What if I am buttering you up, Hyuga?" He grinned at her.

Hinata's eyes showed that she was slightly scared and nervous about being in this sort of position. "I-I…I don't know." She muttered. "Oh? You don't know. Do you want me to tell you why I did help you?" Her eyes widened slightly and she nodded. Sasuke leaned in even closer until his mouth was right next to her ear. "Because you looked beautiful."

Hinata gasped as his breath brushed against her neck. Sasuke pushed himself off the wall and away from Hinata. "Sorry, I got carried away." The smirk had gone from his face and he looked more innocent. Hinata hadn't realised that Sasuke could have such an expression. She didn't know what to say. He looked like a small child.

"Hinata? Did I scare you? Don't space out on me." His face contorted into concern and his head tilted slightly. She shook her head and he smiled. This time it was a proper smile. His eyes crinkled slightly at the corners and different emotions danced in his eyes but Hinata could tell that he hadn't smiled properly for a long time.

"Good. It's getting late now, we can come back up here tomorrow." He turned his back to Hinata. _Thank god it's dark._ As he was about to walk out the door, Hinata called out to him. "S-Sasuke…thanks for showing me your smile. You should do it more often." He turned his head slightly and looked at her. She was smiling softly, the moon illuminating her features. "Yeah…" he looked back to the direction that he was walking in and left a blushing Hinata.

"It's all going to plan. This should work out perfectly." Zetsu's upper body emerged through the walls of the small room. Madara sat on his bed, his knee propped up with his arm resting on it. His mask lay on the floor, the orange spiral standing out against the pale stone. He grinned menacingly. "Yes, this should work out perfectly."


	7. Memories

**Seeing that quite of a few people like this makes me feel so happy. You guys have given me so much confidence, thank you ^-^**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

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Hinata lay on the hard bed, staring up at the ceiling. _"You looked beautiful."_ Sasuke's words wouldn't get out of her mind. It had been seven years since someone had told her that. She either got called weak or an embarrassment. Hanabi and Neji claimed to care about her feelings but when the clan turned on her, they did nothing. She closed her eyes and sighed.

_"Hinata dear, come over here for a second." Her mother smiled as she sat leaning against a tree. She was a lot paler than usual and there were bags under her eyes. Hinata ran over to her mother and sat in front of her, beaming up at the person she loved most._

_"Hinata, mother's going away soon. I'm going to a special place that you can't go to until you're very old, so you won't see me for a while. Before I go, I want you to know that I love you." Her mother's voice cracked slightly. "You're the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen and you're mine. You're my precious little girl. When I go away, please don't cry. Even though I won't be here anymore, I'll always be watching you." Hinata's mother held out her pinky finger and hooked it onto Hinata's. "I promise I'll always be watching you. I promise I'll wait for you." Her mother smiled and a small tear trailed down her cheek._

_"Where are you going?" Hinata whispered, not letting go of her mother's finger. Her mother's smile softened. "I'll be going to see my mother." Hinata pouted at this response. "Why can't I go with you? Who's supposed to help me when people are mean to me, when people tease me and say I'm ugly? Why can't you stay?" Hinata shouted. Her mother's face was a mix of shock, sadness and love. "You can't go with me yet, dear. Maybe sometime in the future, but not anytime soon. If people tell you you're ugly, I want you to remember these words…You're beautiful, Hinata. Don't doubt it for a second." Her mother smiled._

Hinata sat up abruptly. She was breathing heavily and her eyes felt wet. It had been a while since she remembered that day. She usually only remembered the days after. The funeral, visiting the grave every day, picking flowers and thinking constantly about where her mother had gone. The Hyuga flopped backwards, lying back down. Covering her eyes with her forearm, she whispered. "Mother."

Sasuke sat cross legged on the floor of the corridor, his back leaning against the wall. He was sat staring at nothing, too lost in his own thoughts to hear Hinata crying out in her sleep. Too lost in his thoughts to notice that all the torches on the walls had gone out, indicating that morning would come soon. He ran his hands through his hair. "What am I doing?" he muttered to himself.

Hinata was everywhere in his mind. When he thought about training, he thought about asking Hinata if she wanted to train with him. When he thought about eating, he thought about asking Hinata if she wanted to eat with him. Hinata Hinata Hinata. She wouldn't leave his mind. He closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

Hinata removed her arm from her face and sat up one more, looking around her surroundings. Her gaze landed on the box Madara had brought her earlier. She frowned and looked down at her body. The bandages were tight and it was quite hard to breathe. She stood and padded over to the box, crouching down to lift the lid off.

On top of the pile was her mother's kimono. She lifted it out of the box and held it out in front of her. The lilac silk used to look beautiful on her mother. Outlines of hummingbirds were scattered all over the material. Hinata held the kimono close to her body, almost hugging it. It was the only thing that she had of her mother's; her father had given the rest to Hanabi.

Hinata walked back over to the bed and gently laid the kimono out on it. Unzipping the Akatsuki cloak, she smiled at herself. "I wonder what mother would say if she knew I'd run away." Slowly, she began unravelling the bandages until there was nothing left on her body. The cold air hit her and goose bumps began appearing all over her skin.

When she slipped the kimono on, the silk was also cold. It smelt like her mother still. Seeing as there was nothing in the box to secure the material, she re-used the bandages from before. She closed her eyes and smiled again.

"That's the most I've seen you smile." A low voice came from the doorway. Hinata span around quickly to be met with red eyes. "S-Sasuke! You scared me." She let out a sigh. "How long were you stood there?" she questioned, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Long enough." He smirked. Hinata's eye's widened and blush crept up her face. Seeing this, Sasuke laughed and walked out. "Hyuga, come with me." He called. Hinata blinked several times before running to catch up with him, holding up the hem of her kimono.

"Where are we going?" She panted. They had been walking through endless corridors for at least half an hour now. Sasuke walked at a much faster pace than her so she struggled to keep up with him. "It's a surprise." He turned another corner before they were met with a dead end. "Have you gone the wrong way?" Hinata stood next to him, watching him from the corner of her eye.

Sasuke shook his head and bit into his thumb, drawing blood. He formed hand signs faster than a normal eye can follow and placed his thumb on the wall, briskly drawing the character for snake. The ground began to shake as the wall lowered. Small stones fell to the floor. When the wall had lowered completely, they were met with darkness.

Instinctively, Hinata activated her byakugan. She could see that it was a long corridor again before Sasuke poked her in the forehead. "No peeking." He pouted. The veins on Hinata's face disappeared and her eyes darkened slightly. She smiled shyly at him. "I just wanted to check for…spiders." She moved her eyes around, not looking Sasuke in the eye. He caught her chin in his hand and made her look at him.

"You're a terrible liar." He smirked and let go, walking backwards into the darkness. His eyes narrowed as if daring Hinata to follow him. The smile disappeared and was replaced with confidence. She walked straight into the dark space that had been a wall and stepped in something slippery. "W-what's this?" she lifted her foot up. If Sasuke could see her face, he'd see that she looked disgusted.

"Dead snake." Sasuke found Hinata's hand in the dark and gripped it, pulling her forwards. Hinata was too shocked at the fact that Sasuke was holding her hand to focus on where they were going. _His hand feels warm._


	8. Zutto

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

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Water dripped onto the floor, the sound echoing around the narrow tunnel. Sasuke kept his one hand wrapped around Hinata's and the other held out in front of him, allowing him to feel when they reach the end. They hadn't been walking for a long time but when you're in a pitch black tunnel, big enough for only 3 people to walk through, time seems to go slower.

Sasuke's hand hit something cold and hard and he abruptly stopped. Even though she was holding his hand, Hinata didn't realise that Sasuke had stopped and walked straight into the wall. Rubbing her nose, she looked at where Sasuke should be. All she saw were red eyes staring straight ahead.

If Hinata had good night vision, she'd see that Sasuke was smiling nervously. It was the first time he'd shown anyone apart from Madara this room and it contained a lot of personal things. Though when he had taken Madara here, he hadn't felt nervous at all.

He closed his eyes pushed. The wall moved back, leading to a door on the right. "Let's go." He tugged gently on Hinata's hand and dragged his feet across to the door. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and entered with Hinata trailing after.

Once they'd both stepped in, the door slowly closed. When Sasuke heard the click, he snapped his fingers and the torches on the walls lit up one by one. There were piles of books in every corner, wooden boxes and chests with the Uchiha symbol carved into them were scattered across the room. Mannequins holding clothes with the same symbol printed on them were lined up like an army.

Children's toys covered the rest of the floor. If you had no light, there was a high chance that you'd end up stepping on a wooden train. With closer inspection, Hinata noticed that most of the items had small blood stains on them. Gasping, she raised a hand to her mouth and began to shake. "This is…" Sasuke turned his head to look at her.

If he was trying to supress showing his emotions, he was failing. His eyes betrayed him. Pain and sadness were reflected in them. "Yeah, it's all the stuff I could get." He turned his head towards one box and smiled sadly. Hinata followed his gaze and saw a small box with Sasuke's name written on messily. The red ink had almost faded. Her look of shock became one of pity. She was too busy thinking about how much it must've hurt to noticed that Sasuke had taken something out of the box.

He stared at Hinata for a while, tilting his head slightly. This girl didn't hide anything, especially her emotions. He let out a sight, sat on the floor and threw one of the trains at her. It hit her in the centre of her forehead and she looked at him, frowning. He simply patted the floor next to him and crossed his legs, placing the book on them as if it were a baby.

Clearing a few toys out of the way, Hinata sat next to the Uchiha, eyeing the book nervously. She had no idea what was in it. It could either be something about what happened or it could be a trap set by Sasuke. For some reason, Hinata didn't mind. Sasuke wasn't as scary as she thought; he was as vulnerable as her.

"I haven't shown this to anyone before. I wasn't going to show you until I remembered something in here that you might like." He opened the cover of the book and in the centre of the page was a picture of Sasuke, Itachi and their parents. They looked happy, each one of them smiling, their eyes twinkling. His mother was beautiful, her cheeks were slightly flushed and Sasuke's mirrored hers.

Before she could look at it in more detail, Sasuke turned the pages, not stopping to let her look at them. She caught a glimpse of Sasuke and Itachi together. She'd never seen someone have a smile as big as Sasuke's used to be. "It's a shame." Hinata whispered. Sasuke watched her from the corner of his eye, an eyebrow raised slightly.

Once he reached the tenth page, he stopped. "These." He muttered. Hinata gasped again. The page was covered in various pictures of Hinata and Sasuke with their mothers. One in particular caught her eye. Her mother was kneeling in between her and Sasuke, looking down at their hands and laughing. Sasuke was holding Hinata's hand and on her finger was a ring made from a daisy.

_"Sasuke, do you take little Hinata to be your wife?" her mother's voice rang out. Sasuke's cheeks were stained pink, but he stood looking proud. "I do." He grinned. He lifted up his right fist and opened it, revealing a daisy shaped like a ring. "What a pretty ring!" Hinata's mother smiled. _

_Sasuke held onto Hinata's hand and slipped the ring onto her finger, biting his lip with concentration. Hinata giggled softly and her mother patted both their backs, laughing. "Well then, Hinata, you're Sasuke's bride. Sasuke, you may kiss the bride." _

_Hinata's cheeks went bright red and Sasuke's mirrored hers. He gulped and then leaned into her, pressing his lips to her cheeks. "Forever." He whispered in her ear when he pulled back. Hinata blinked at him, confused by what he meant. Sasuke just grinned at her and rubbed the back of his head._

Hinata's eyes had gone blank. Sasuke could tell she was having a flashback about the time they got 'married'. If it hadn't been for this album, he too would've forgotten about it completely. Smiling softly, he leaned into her until his mouth was directly next to her ear.

"Forever." He whispered.


	9. Plans

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

* * *

Hinata jumped slightly when she felt something against her ear. Turning her head sharply towards

Sasuke, she noticed that their noses weren't very far part. He smirked and closed the distance even more. "Did you remember, Hinata?" he sounded amused.

"U-uh…yeah…I mean…" she stuttered and blushed. She wanted to move away but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to. He smiled and sat back. "That's good." He snapped the book shut and placed it on the floor. "Why's it good?" she looked confused, a frown embedded on her forehead. "No reason." Sasuke stood up and looked down at her.

Hinata's frown deepened when Sasuke chuckled. "Frowning doesn't suit you." He turned and walked towards the door of the room. "Let's go." Hinata stopped frowning and lifted herself off the floor, wiping her kimono.

She was sat in the room again, staring at the same ceiling. She sighed and closed her eyes; thinking about what things would be like if she hadn't left Konoha. "Father would probably be looking at me as if I'm dirt, Hanabi would probably be looking at me with sympathy and Neji would still be over protective." She spoke to the empty ceiling.

Someone knocked on her door. Not bothering to see who it is with her byakugan first, she simply said "Enter." The sound of sandals slapping against the floor followed by the door creaking shut was the only thing she heard before she realised that this was neither Sasuke nor Madara. She sat up and opened her eyes, veins began appearing at the sides.

She wasn't expecting to be greeted by familiar white eyes. "F-father?" she whispered. Hisashi smirked at her before performing hand seals. "Good luck, Hinata" he pressed his hand against his forehead and Hinata shot back, crashing through the wall into the next room. Rubble piled up beside her as her forehead began to burn.

Sasuke blinked. Hinata had just come flying in through the wall. Madara was sat on his bed and he turned and stared at the girl. She was in a lot of pain and holding onto her forehead, crouched on the floor. "Oh." He muttered. Hinata started screaming. "It hurts! It hurts!" she began moving around as if her body was on fire, rolling from side to side still clutching her forehead.

"Sasuke, you take care of her. I have some business to attend to." Madara spiralled out of the room, leaving the Uchiha and Hinata. "Hinata, what hurts?" He pinned down her body. There were tears running down her cheeks and her face was contorted into pain. "M-my forehead. It burns. It's on fire." She cried, squeezing her eyes shut.

Sasuke frowned before lifting up her fringe. The Hyuga curse seal was burnt into her head. The marking had gone green but all around it was red and swollen. "Hinata…who did this?" he whispered, gently tracing the pattern with his finger. She didn't answer, she only continued sobbing.

"Hinata answer me." His grip on her wrists tightened. "Y-you know what it is, r-right?" she hiccupped. He nodded. "More or less." She opened her eyes, the tears had stopped and were replaced with small sobs. "T-then that answers your question." She gave him a small smile.

Sasuke's jaw dropped slightly. The timid Hyuga had just shown that she's not as timid as everyone thinks she is. He was about to come up with something to say back when Madara appeared in the hole in the wall. "They managed to get away. Hinata, did you see who they were?" The orange mask turned to face the girl that was pinned down by Sasuke.

For the second time that day, Hinata lied. "No." she shook her head. Madara frowned behind the mask. He could tell she was lying. "Very well then. Sadly, this means we have to relocate. That person knows where we are and from the way they just threw Hinata through the walls, they're not a friend." Madara sighed and turned his head away from Hinata. "Sasuke, I believe she doesn't need to be restrained anymore." He stated. Sasuke's eyes widened, he'd forgotten that he was still on top of her.

He stood and held out his hand to Hinata, offering to help her stand. She blushed slightly and took it, allowing him to pull her up to her feet. Madara raised an eyebrow up under his mask. "Hinata, you're going to need to change into something suitable for combat and the Akatsuki cloak." She nodded at him and walked through the holes in the walls, eventually disappearing out of sight.

Sasuke's gaze followed her until he couldn't see her anymore and turned his eyes to Madara, glaring. "It was you, wasn't it?" Sasuke muttered. Madara stared at him through the mask in his eye. "I may have made some arrangements to make sure there are no interruptions. Her clan would've come after her if she hadn't been sealed and I didn't feel the need to fight pointless battles." Madara shuffled over to the door, opening it slightly before stopping with his hand resting on the handle. "You should be thankful, now no-one will interfere and your wife won't be in danger." He smirked under his mask before opening the door fully and walking out.

"Wife?" Sasuke asked himself. He frowned before he remembered the even from when he was a small child. His frown deepened when he felt his face heat up. Was he embarrassed? Uchiha's are never embarrassed. Shaking his head, he opened the door and followed the sound of Madara's footsteps. He was about to turn the corner to his room when he heard voices.

"Kill them, every single one of them. I've released the genjutsu and it won't be long before they come after us. I don't want a single one of them left." Madara's voice was low. He heard something that sounded like bones crushing before he heard Madara's voice again. "Poor little Hyuga clan."


	10. Secrets

**This chapter was kind of rushed because I hate making people wait so it might not be that good...**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

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They had been walking since midnight; the sun was now beginning to rise. The sky was a light shade of purple, orange showing discreetly from over the hills. Birds began tweeting their own individual songs, each one trying to overpower the other. The trees branches seemed to be reaching out more, their leaves rustling.

Hinata abruptly stopped, scanning the area with her byakugan. The two Uchiha's looked at her, their heads slightly tilted. "Three shinobi at 1 o'clock. They don't seem to be heading this way but I'm not sure if any of them are sensory." She stated, standing completely still when the breeze blew her hair into her face.

Madara sighed. "We'll take a break here." He sat cross legged on the floor, folding his arms and staring at nothing. Sasuke leaned against the tree opposite him, closing his eyes. "I-I'm going to go to the stream and…yeah…" Hinata bowed, even though neither of her companions were looking at her, and ran out of the clearing.

Madara raised his eyes to a moody looking Uchiha. "What's wrong, little Sasuke?" there was a tinge of amusement in his voice. Sasuke opened one eye and stared at Madara. "What did you mean by poor little Hyuga clan and releasing a genjutsu." His voice was low, as if the trees had ears.

"Ah, so you were listening." Madara laid back on the grass, putting his hands underneath his head. "When I went to the Hyuga compound, I may have put a genjutsu on her family members. I may have told her father I would release the jutsu if he placed the seal on her forehead." Sasuke cursed under his breath at this. "I also may have told Zetsu to kill them all." Madara's smirk grew wider. Just like Sasuke's eyes.

"So, what you're saying is you used her clan and now you're going to wipe them out just like my clan?" He glared at the orange mask that hid many secrets. "Our clan, Sasuke, our clan. Yes, I am going to wipe them out completely. When we're done with our plans and you return to Konoha, there won't be room for two clans. The Uchiha clan must be at the top. We have no use for competition." Sasuke slammed his fist against the tree trunk, causing it to shake. Various birds flew out from the branches.

This action had surprised Madara. He had expected Sasuke to try and kill him or at least hurt him. He sat up and looked at the youngest Uchiha. Anger was evident in his eyes and his face had a look of disgust plastered onto it. "Bastard." Sasuke spat before turning on his heel and walking towards where Hinata had ran off to.

He stormed through the trees, flattening various plants on his way. Sasuke had been through losing his entire clan and even if Hinata wasn't exactly very close to them, they were her family. He arrived at the clearing. Water was cascading over the hill and trickling through the rocks. Through the water, he could faintly see Hinata. Her head poked out through the water and her eyes landed on him.

She felt her face heat up faster than it had before. Sasuke was staring at her and she was naked. His cheeks were slightly pink as well. They stood staring at each other for a few seconds before Hinata screamed and Sasuke turned his back to her. She ducked behind the water again, stepping backwards. The heel of her foot landed on nothing and she looked down.

There was a huge hole, going down so far that she couldn't see the bottom. Without realising, she had stepped back again and was suspended in mid-air for a brief second. She closed her eyes and held her breath, preparing herself for the impact. It didn't come.

A large hand gripped onto her wrist, water trickling down from it. She opened her eyes. Holding onto her was a topless Sasuke. Water droplets clung to his wide chest and broad shoulders, his muscles straining. She had seen many topless males in her life, but you could tell that this one had worked hard to get this kind of body.

Despite being soaked, his duck-butt hair still stood up. He was panting slightly; his cheeks still had a tint of pink. "Are you stupid or something? When you sense that there's a hole, you don't walk back into it." He scolded her, a look of concern almost showed through his frown. "S-sorry." She looked down at her toes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

He slowly began to pull her up, making sure that no rocks would catch against her skin. Her skin looked like porcelain and he didn't want to ruin that perfectness. When she was just about at the top of the hole, he used his free hand to grab her waist and he yanked her up, holding her close to him. "Thank god you're safe." He whispered into her hair, breathing out a sigh of relief.

She stood there blankly for a few seconds, not believing that Sasuke was hugging her again. When it clicked that he actually was, she wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling him in closer to her so that their bodies were pressed together.

"Hinata…you're naked." He smirked. Hinata's body tensed. She'd forgotten about her lack of clothes. The blush that had left a few minutes ago decided to visit again. She felt Sasuke smile into her hair and then something soft was wrapped around her shoulders. She looked down and realised it was Sasuke's shirt. She looked up at him, frowning slightly. She was caught up in his eyes.

They were like the night sky except his eyes were showing her many hidden emotions instead of stars. It felt as if he was looking deep into her soul, revealing every secret she'd ever kept. He bent his head until his face was only inches away from hers, their noses almost touching. Both their heartbeats were slamming against their ribcages in anticipation.

Her arms were still wrapped around him, her grip tightened slightly, as if telling him it's okay. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and closed the distance completely, brushing his lips softly against hers. He was expecting her to push her away and scream at him. She should've run away. Instead, she responded by increasing the pressure slightly. In their heads, they both uttered the same words. "_I love you"_


	11. Aftermath

**I feel like the chapters are getting worse as I go along so I'm sorry :(**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

His fingertips danced up her arms, lightly tickling Hinata's skin. His hands stopped when they reached her head, tangling his fingers in the indigo strands. Small water droplets hit their skin causing goosebumps to form all over them but neither Sasuke nor Hinata cared. They were too wrapped in each other, too distracted by the things they were saying to each other without saying a single word.

Once they had both pulled apart, they were breathless and blushing. Hinata stared down at the floor and Sasuke copied. Neither of them knew what to say. Sasuke cleared his throat. "We should probably get back…" he looked through the waterfall to see Madara sat on a rock, staring at them.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was grinning under that mask of his. Hinata wrapped Sasuke's top around her even tighter and walked through the water, wading towards the grass. Sasuke wasn't far behind her, smirking at the fact his top came down to her knees.

"Hinata, dear, why are you wearing Sasuke's clothing and blushing?" Madara's grin widened when Hinata's blush darkened. She gripped onto the material and looked at the trees. Sasuke pushed Madara off the rock he was sat on and began dragging him into the forest, leaving Hinata to get changed.

As she began slipping on the black tube top and netted t-shirt, she replayed what had just happened in her head. The Hyuga bit down on her lip and scrunched her eyes shut, shaking her head in an attempt to forget about it. After another five minutes, she was completely dressed and was holding Sasuke's drenched top in her hands, looking down at it with a frown on her face.

Footsteps approached her and she jerked her head towards them, meeting familiar dark eyes. He stood in front of her and she stared at him blankly when he held out his hand. Hinata didn't know whether he wanted her hand or not. Sasuke sighed and plucked the white shirt out of her hands, grinning at her embarrassment.

He twisted the material, squeezing the water out of it until only a few droplets fell onto the grass. "We'll be moving again in a few hours so I recommend you sleep. If you don't, you'll pass out." He slung the shirt over his shoulder and walked away. Hinata stared at his broad back until it disappeared into the forest.

She turned her face towards the waterfall and blushed. From the way he was acting, Sasuke didn't seem to be fazed by the fact that they had kissed a few minutes ago. Little did she know that hiding behind a tree, covering his mouth with his hand was a blushing Sasuke. He hadn't meant to kiss her, not yet. It just happened.

To make matters worse, Madara had seen it which means Madara can either use it against him or laugh at him for softening up slightly. He shook his head and traipsed towards the cherry blossom tree he'd left Madara at.

As he lowered himself onto the grass, a breeze blew his raven locks into his face, covering his eyes and blinding him for a second. He reached up and moved the hair out of his face, glaring at the trees in front of him. Sasuke knew Hinata now felt awkward and probably wouldn't speak to him at all.

As if sensing his distress, Madara hung upside down from the branch above Sasuke. "Little Sasuke made a move on little Hinata," he clapped his hands together. "The joy of young love." A shuriken hit the branch; mere inches away from his foot and Madara fell.

The heap of red, black and orange surprised Hinata when she caught up with them. Sasuke was glowering at the pile, his eyes flashing red. The pile began to unfurl and Madara spread out on the ground, staring up at the sky.

"Hinata, check the area." He murmured, looking up at the clouds and attempting to identify the different shapes. Hinata's white eyes looked all around them, seeing through everything. "We're surrounded, small gap to the north of us. There are twenty of them." Her gaze flicked between Sasuke and Madara, attempting to read their body language.

Sasuke stood up slowly and stretched his arms out, sighing. "Then I guess we'd better deal with the problem." Madara rose and smiled under the mask. "It's been a while since we've done something like this. Can you handle this many, Hinata?"

Hinata got into her battle stance, her face showing obvious concentration. "Don't underestimate me." She warned. Both the Uchiha's eyes widened slightly before they smirked. "Sasuke, east. Hinata, west. I'll do south and whichever one finishes first gets to take north." Madara instructed. Sasuke's mangekyou activated and Madara's eye glowed red through the small hole in the mask. "Let the show begin."


	12. Fight

**I'm feeling generous so I'm updating early**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

* * *

Seven cloud ninja jumped down in front of Hinata, grins plastered all over their faces and killing intent danced in their eyes. "Look what we have here, a Hyuga." A dark skinned one with green eyes raised an eyebrow at her, the others just staring. Everything was silent for a few moments before they began to move in.

Hinata flattened her palms and held them out in front of her. Once they were close enough, she smiled. "Eight trigrams thirty-two palms!" she cried and one by one began taking down the ninja. They threw several kunai and shuriken at her but their attempts to hit them failed. Hinata was a naturally flexible girl so moving away from these attacks was like a walk in the park.

Out of the seven that she'd started with, two were left. They kept away from her, realising that her attacks were short distance. Pouting, Hinata drew circles on the ground with her foot with her hands placed behind her back. "No fun." She looked up at the two men, their faces softening slightly.

Everyone loved the innocent girl act and it always made people hesitate when attacking. Hinata used her shy nature to her advantage in situations like this. Once she saw that they were hesitating, a smirk spread across her lips, looking strange on the supposedly innocent Hyuga.

Two kunai dropped out from her sleeves and she flicked them at the two left over ninja, hitting them both in the centre of the forehead. She looked over her shoulder towards her companions and saw Sasuke holding a ninja in a headlock and Madara sat on a pile of them, both staring at the Hyuga with disbelief.

Madara coughed. "Well…" he turned his head towards Sasuke who only briefly glanced at Madara before looking at the ninja in his arms. "At least you won't be killed by Hinata." He murmured to them before twisting their neck, resulting in a loud snap. Sasuke looked at the body on the floor briefly before looking up again.

Madara stood where Hinata had previously been, holding up his hand to Sasuke. He then bent his fingers, beckoning Sasuke to come to him. Sasuke frowned and stepped forward two steps before being knocked on the back by something. He turned around just in time to see Hinata again.

"Juho Sōshiken!" Chakra shaped like lions head's surrounded Hinata's hands like blue flames. She moved faster than Sasuke had seen her move before and proceeded to hit the rest of the ninja, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. This technique wasn't perfected and it used up a fair amount of chakra. If she used it for too long, Hinata would pass out, so she needed to get this over and done with.

She was about to attack the last one when the chakra coating her fists began to shrink and Hinata felt light headed. Her vision became blurry as she approached them and all she saw before she blacked out was a kunai coming straight towards her.

By the time Hinata had hit the ground, Sasuke had used a chidori blade to hit the ninja's heart, killing them almost instantly. He stopped his chakra flow to his hand and approached Hinata, lifting her up slightly. "She used too much chakra." He looked down at her, staring at the same expression he saw that night.

Madara stared too, his eyes narrowing beneath his orange mask. There was something about what she just did that didn't seem ordinary, he felt it. "She shouldn't have been able to use that." He whispered to himself, his eyes not leaving her face. She began to stir and opened her eyes slowly.

It was only for a second but Sasuke thought he saw her eyes flash a bright violet before returning to a pale lilac. "Am I dead?" she whispered, her eyes not opened fully yet. "No." Sasuke's frown returned. She reached up and rubbed at his forehead with her fingers. "If you keep pulling that face, you'll get wrinkles early." She attempted to smile but due to exhaustion, she could barely manage.

Letting her hand drop back down, she sighed. As if something clicked in her mind, she shot up and looked around. She spotted the ninja she hadn't killed and saw the hole going through his chest, blood surrounding it. She frowned at it; she couldn't remember doing something like that. Sasuke's fingers rubbed on her forehead. "If you keep pulling that face, you'll get wrinkles early." He repeated, smirking.

She pouted at him before trying to stand up. Her legs trembled beneath her and her chest heaved up and down. The twin lion fists had taken so much chakra out of her. If she hadn't stopped when she had, she would've died. She was almost fully stood up before hands slipped under her arms and knees, scooping her up.

She looked down and then back up to see Sasuke staring at Madara, tightening his hold on her. "We'll have to find somewhere to stay, Hinata can't move in this condition." He spun on his heel and walked away into the forest, expecting Sasuke and Hinata to follow him.

"I wonder what he'd do if we didn't follow him." Sasuke looked down at the Hyuga, sporting a lopsided grin. She simply giggled softly. "I'd find you and kill you." Madara shouted over his shoulder. Sasuke sighed and followed obediently but still keeping his distance. If they were attacked, Madara would be able to hold them off while Sasuke moved Hinata to a safer distance.

They walked in silence; the sound of the trees surrounded them. Judging by the suns position, it was now midday. Hinata's stomach rumbled, indicating that she was hungry. The pink returned to her cheeks again. Sasuke smirked. "I see that chakra exhaustion doesn't affect your blushing." The pink darkened and she glared at Sasuke and then folded her arms and looked away from him.

"Who knew Hyuga's were stroppy too." This earned him a punch. He chuckled to himself as they continued walking, missing Madara looking behind his shoulder at them. The masked man grinned once again. _It's all going so perfectly._


	13. Survivor

Night was approaching once they reached a small hotel on the outskirts of the hidden mist. They had spent the whole journey being cautious and monitored the area more than they moved. With Hinata rendered useless, they struggled a lot more than before. Both Uchiha's had gotten used to being able to use her white eyes.

The door creaked open and a small, wrinkled woman with bright red hair stepped out, smiling at the group. They looked like quite an odd group, but she was not one to judge. This had not shocked her; she had sensed them a long time ago. The one wearing the orange mask bowed to her and she chuckled. "No need for the formalities, dear. I was expecting you. There is a room upstairs, second door to the left that is free. I'm afraid you're all going to have to share, my grandchildren are occupying the other rooms."

Her voice was raspy and aged, her eyes showed wisdom. Her red hair showed that she was either closely related to the Uzumaki clan or she was one of the survivors. She turned her head to Sasuke who had been staring intently at her. "Yes, I am from the Uzumaki clan. You know one, right?" her eyes looked as though they could see every last bit of his life, his soul.

"Two, I've met two." His answer was abrupt, wanting to get the greetings over and done with. "The only survivor of the Uchiha massacre, eh? Seems like they missed one." Her eyes flicked to Madara before resting on Hinata. "A Hyuga. One with the seal. Quite the powerful group of people I have visiting today." A smirk threatened to spill onto her lips but she repressed it.

The old woman turned on her heel and entered the house, the two Uchiha's and Hyuga following close behind. Madara turned as the door shut, looking out to see if he could spot any followers other than Zetsu. The door shut and he turned his attention back to the old woman. She walked with a limp and her back curved slightly so she was constantly bent.

She slowly clambered up the steps, stopping after a few to catch her breath. Once they finally reached the top, she made a sharp turn towards the left, leading the way to the second door. She turned and smiled at them all. "This is it, I'm sorry if it's cramped. You can stay as long as you like, I won't charge such important people." She walked back the way they came, waving behind her before disappearing around the corner.

The three of them stood in silence, staring at the door. "Sasuke…you can put me down now." Hinata mumbled, the silence getting to her. Instead, Sasuke pulled her in closer. "No." his voice vibrated in his chest. Hinata blushed slightly before burying her face into it. Madara raised an eyebrow under the mask as he turned the handle and pushed on it, allowing the door to open completely before stepping in.

Two pillows and a sheet lay on top of a double mattress on the floor, taking up most of the floor space. A large window covered the whole of one wall, looking out into the tree tops and hills. Another door was inside, leading to a small bathroom.

They all stared at the bed the same way they had the door. "I'm not planning on staying, I want to go ahead to see if anyone is at the last hideout. I also want to check to see how good the security is." Madara told them both before walking out, leaving Sasuke and Hinata staring at the bed once again. Hinata was still bundled in Sasuke's arms.

As soon as Madara left, his heartbeat sped up. He was going to sleep in a bed with the girl he'd adored since childhood. Sasuke Uchiha was a confident man but when it came to Hinata, he got embarrassed by the smallest of things and looking at her made him feel nervous.

He swiftly moved over to the mattress, his footsteps silent. He kicked aside the sheet and lay Hinata down, being gentler than he would with any other human. This surprised Hinata, she had expected Sasuke to just throw her down on the bed and leave it at that. The fact he was laying her down as if she would break confused her as she was not a fragile person.

Once she looked comfortable, Sasuke draped the sheet across her, tucking it in. He bit down on his lip once he'd finished, the temptation to kiss her again was almost overwhelming. He pushed that feeling aside and replaced it with concern for her. All that mattered was that she was okay; he could easily kiss her again any other time.

"Sleep, Hinata." He commanded, his dark eyes locking with her lavender ones. She looked at him reluctantly before nodding and closing her eyes, a look of peacefulness took over her features. She even looked beautiful while she slept. In all honesty, Sasuke wouldn't mind falling asleep next to her every night for the rest of his life.

Small doubts crept into his mind. She would never want to spend more time than necessary with someone like Sasuke. She was soft, gentle and caring whereas he was cruel, harsh and vicious. He was a cold blooded killer, she was not. She killed when she needed to, yes, but Sasuke killed when he felt like it.

Her breathing had slowed, her body almost completely still apart from the rise and fall of her chest. He reached out and softly touched her cheek, trailing it down to her jawline. He traced along it with his index finger, memorising the shape. Even her skin was like porcelain, a shell that could easily shatter into a million pieces.

Sasuke pulled his hand away and lay on the pillow next to her, not bothering to put the sheet over himself. He observed the way her mouth twitched slightly and how her eyes were moving behind the closed lids. He smiled and let himself fall asleep, the image of Hinata engraved into his mind.

_"Sasuke, come here." Itachi patted the grass next to him, inviting Sasuke to sit next to him. Sasuke sat and stared straight ahead at the sunset, copying his older brother. Itachi snuck glances at him and smiled to himself. "Sasuke, do you have something you want to protect?" Itachi's voice was almost silent._

_"Yes, brother, the tomato plants." Sasuke said seriously, his eyes still watching the sun. Itachi laughed, the sound was like music. "Apart from the plants. Like someone you love?" Sasuke blushed at this question and jerked his head to his brother. Itachi grinned at him, amusement and seriousness merged together in his eyes._

_"I-I-I want to protect mother." He stuttered, his body squirming with discomfort. Itachi shot him a knowing look. "Apart from mother." Itachi could tease Sasuke all day, he loved seeing his younger brother trying to come up with smart answers and blushing. He liked seeing him get angry over small things that wouldn't really bother anyone else._

_Sasuke mumbled something. Itachi held his ear, still grinning at the younger Uchiha. Sasuke took a deep breath. "I-I-I want to protect H-H-H..." his voice trailed off. "H-H-H?" Itachi questioned, raising an eyebrow. Sasuke stood up and clenched his fists. "I want to protect Hinata!" He shouted._

_"Why?"_

_"I-I-I…"_

_"You…"_

_"I love her!" Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut. Itachi smiled that soft smile that only came out when Sasuke was near. He pulled Sasuke onto his lap, holding his head to his chest. "Make sure you do protect her, Sasuke."_


	14. Comfort

**I'm feeling extra-generous this week ;)**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

Sasuke opened his eyes, seeing pale eyes staring at him in concern. Hinata had felt him moving around as if he were having a bad dream so Hinata had sat over him to see if he was okay. They stayed staring at each other, both blinking and silent, until Hinata blushed and jumped backwards, her back slamming into the wall.

"I-I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to I mean you were crying out and I thought you were in pain so I was about to check with my byakugan but then you woke up a-a-and…" she spoke so fast she stuttered over herself. He lifted himself up on his elbows, eyeing the stressed Hyuga. Tilting his head slightly, Sasuke smirked, "You look really cute when you're embarrassed."

Hinata's face was like a tomato, her eyes rapidly moving around, avoiding Sasuke's gaze. He leant over her on all fours, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "You know what I want to do to you when you look like that?" his shadow coloured eyes locked onto hers.

"I-I-I…" Hinata mumbled before biting down on her lip. Her heart was punching her ribs and butterflies swarmed in her stomach, dancing around. He leaned into her ear and whispered, "I want to kiss you." Hinata gulped and didn't move, staring straight ahead at the window. There was no wind outside and the stars were bright, scattered across the sky like raindrops.

Sasuke lightly kissed under her ear causing Hinata to shiver and pulled back. "Hinata, you look like you used to when Naruto was in the same room as you." Hinata's eyes snapped to him, her lips not moving at all. "Speaking of the dobe, you haven't mentioned him at all." He frowned. Hinata used to be infatuated with Naruto, blushing and fainting whenever he was close by.

"I know that Naruto-kun will never…love me. I confessed a while ago but…he never answered. He likes Sakura." She mumbled. "I don't mind. I know when to give up on something." She smiled at him. "I've fallen for someone else too." She whispered to herself.

"What was that?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Hinata waved her hands in front of her, "Nothing, nothing at all." She lifted herself up to her feet and tip-toed over to the window, opening it and leaning out. The forest smelt like her mother, the trees silent like herself.

_"Hinata, I'm going to pick some herbs in the forest." Her mother called out, "Do you want to join me?" She was stood at the gate to the Hyuga compound, a baby blue strapless dress hugged her body and a basket was hooked on her right arm. She had her hair tied up in a bun, showing off her perfect face shape._

_"Coming, mother!" Hinata ran as fast as she could to her mother, stumbling over herself. Just as she reached her mother, she fell, scraping her knees. Tears threatened to fall but Hinata blinked them back, she must show her mother that she's strong like her. _

_A small hand was stuck out, offering to help her up. Hinata looked at the owner of the hand and saw Neji, his long hair tumbling over his shoulders and a look of sympathy on his face. "Hinata-sama, you'll get dirty." Hinata took his hand and allowed herself to be lifted up, brushing the dirt off her skirt._

_"Thank you, Neji." She bowed and turned to her mother. She smiled down at her and opened the gate, waiting for Hinata to pass through first. She skipped through, humming a song her mother had taught her._

_When they arrived in the forest, her mother sat on the grass and placed the basket next to her. Biting her lip with concentration, she picked leaves and plants from the ground, checking each one and putting them in the basket with care. _

_Hinata watched. Her mother was beautiful, she reminded Hinata of a Lily. Her skin was fair, her eyes white and her hair dark. She looked like a doll. Noticing Hinata's gaze, her mother gave her a knowing look. "Hinata, dear, has anyone said you're beautiful recently?" she cut the stem off a flower and put it on top of the green pile that had built up in the basket._

_"A-ano…Sasuke said I look like a princess." Hinata's cheeks were dusted pink, her index fingers poking together. "Did he now?" Hinata's mother smiled as she began picking daisies. "You want to know what flower reminds me of you, Hinata?" She began to chain them together, watching Hinata from the corner of her eye._

_Hinata nodded, her fringe flopping on her forehead. "I think you're like a daisy." She added more to the chain, creating a circle with them, "It's such a simple flower yet it's so beautiful. The yellow centre is like the sun, the petals are like clouds." She finished the train and gently tugged Hinata's wrist._

_"The stems can be snapped easily. However, daisies are scattered everywhere, just like your kindness. The stem is supportive like you are with your friends. The white petals are like angel's wings." She slipped the daisy chain onto Hinata's wrist. "You're my little angel and the most beautiful girl in the world. People will be jealous of your beauty, they'll claim that you're weak."_

_She pulled Hinata onto her lap, wrapping her arms around her. "I'll always be there for you, even if you cannot see me. You're my angel and I'm yours, I'll protect you no matter what." A tear slid down her mother's cheek. "You'll have other things to protect too like people and secrets. I want you to give your all to protect them, Hinata. Don't let me down."_

Two strong arms reached around Hinata's neck, a solid body was pressed against her back, sharing their warmth. Sasuke's chin rested on her shoulder, his eyes glancing at her. "Don't cry, Hinata." He whispered.

She hadn't realised she was crying. She turned away from the window, facing Sasuke. His thumb wiped the tears from her eyes, his touch felt like butterfly wings. "I don't like seeing you cry."

Morning approached rapidly, the Hyuga and the Uchiha were wrapped in each other's arms, seeking warmth and comfort. As if in sync with each other, they both opened their eyes at the same time and squinted against the sun's rays.

* * *

They didn't remember falling asleep last night. Hinata felt confused by this and Sasuke just shrugged it off. She stretched in his arms, her wrists clicking. He watched, observing again.

She stood up and held her hand out to him, Sasuke just stared at it. He looked puzzled and Hinata giggled. "Breakfast." She smiled, her eyes sparkling. After blinking three times, he took the hand.

Instead of letting her help him up, he pulled her onto him, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. He remembered her comforting him about Itachi last night and this was his way of saying thank you.

Hinata attempted to speak but his grip on her was almost tight enough to break her ribs. She hadn't realised the Uchiha liked human contact like this, but she also hadn't known how much Itachi's death had affected him.

With her still in his arms, Sasuke stood up. After holding her for a few more seconds, he let her go. The one side of her face was red from where it had been pressed against his chest and her hair was messy. She reached up and ran her fingers through it in an attempt to fix it.

When the pair got down the stairs and entered the kitchen, the old woman had laid out bread, cheese, rice, bacon and other foods. She was perched at the end of the table, her eyes on them. She smiled at them as if she knew everything that had happened, heard every word and seen every action.

Truth is, she had foreseen it long ago.


	15. Job

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

Sasuke piled the food onto his plate, Hinata settled for some rice with cut up pieces of bacon mixed in. The two women stared at him. "There's enough there to feed a village…" Hinata blinked. The woman's eyes were wide, "I thought my husband ate a lot."

Sasuke pouted and looked at his plate, "I'm a growing male." He spooned some rice into his mouth, his mouth still pouting. Hinata giggled and began choking, the old woman hitting her back.

"You've grown enough already, Uchiha." The woman drawled out. Sasuke shot her a sideward glance before shovelling more food into his mouth. The woman's sandals scuffed across the floor as she made her way to her seat, her red hair almost blinding in the sunlight that filtered through the windows.

Whenever she looked at either of them, a hint of sadness reflected in her eyes. "It's a shame." She looked down at the table. Hinata pushed her plate away, giving the woman a questioning glance. Sasuke stopped eating for a brief second before continuing.

"You're such a pretty one, not weak at all. It must have hurt to have been ridiculed by your clan every day." The woman murmured, making Hinata lower her eyes to the table. "I guess it was. I never really paid attention to how much it hurt, only on getting better." She smiled sadly and raised her eyes up to the Uzumaki.

"It doesn't hurt anymore though, since Sasuke and Madara helped me, I don't think about it anymore." Her smile widened and her cheeks were slightly pink. The woman smiled back at her before turning to Sasuke.

"Uchiha, you seem to have been a lot less moody than when you've passed by this area." Sasuke glared at her and swallowed. "What about it?" he eyed the woman. He could tell that she knew a lot about both himself and Hinata. "Make sure you do protect what you promised to." She sent him a knowing smile before standing up and walking over to the window.

Her hands were clasped at the bottom of her back, her eyes squinting in the sun. She had many wrinkles but when the sun hit her face, she still looked young. "There will be a storm tonight." She sighed.

Hinata and Sasuke stood at the same time, frowning at how they seemed to do everything at the same time. "We'll leave now then so we can catch up with our…companion." Sasuke stated, folding his arms.

"The one with the orange mask? Madara, was it?" she looked at the two shinobi over her shoulder, her eyes glinting. Hinata nodded and the old woman smiled. She heard their footsteps heading back towards the room they'd shared and sighed. Looking up at the clouds, she whispered, "It's such a shame."

Sasuke and Hinata had almost reached the top of the stairs when loud laughter rang out. The laughter of about seven small children. They were approaching. Sasuke cringed and grabbed Hinata's wrist, dragging her into the room. Slamming the door shut, he slid down it and sat on the floor.

"Sasuke?" Hinata looked at him, rubbing her wrist. He raised his eyes to her for a second before moving them to the floor. "I dislike…noise." Something flashed silver in the corner and he frowned. He turned his head to Hinata to see if she'd noticed it only to see she'd already activated her byakugan.

"We need to go, now." She whispered, the veins disappearing. She ran over to the window and pulled it wide open once again, glancing at Sasuke over her shoulder before jumping. He was still for a moment before moving over to the window and jumping himself.

Hinata was fast. By the time he'd jumped out, he could only just make out her body shape without his sharingan. Focusing his chakra to his feet and eyes, he kicked off the ground, moving in between trees towards the Hyuga. She had paused in the middle of a clearing and her eyes were moving frantically.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" He panted. Sasuke had good stamina but doing quick and short distances often left him breathless. She faced him completely, her face flushed and hair knotted all over the place.

"Madara expected us to notice it before, the woman had sent a message to Konoha telling them where you are, so he placed an explosive tag in the house. The silver thing was a signal to us if we were still there." She paused to move her hair away from her face. "Now listen."

Everything was silent, not even the leaves rustled. They waited, their eyes not leaving each other. Birds flew out of the trees, squirrels jumped from tree to tree, moving away from the way the two dark-haired ninja had just come.

A loud explosion made Sasuke jump, the ground began to shake. He looked over his shoulder and saw trees falling, crushing anything that had occupied them. A huge gust of wind blew them both back a few paces, their arms held up to their eyes to protect them.

Just as fast as the explosion had happened, it had ended, leaving fallen trees and scattered leaves. A twig snapped and Sasuke jerked around, his sharingan ready. An orange mask emerged from behind the tree, dirt smudged across it.

"Sasuke, it seems someone has surpassed your observation skills." Sasuke turned away from him and looked at Hinata. She had a scratch across her cheek and her clothes were covered in dirt. Leaves were tangled in her indigo hair, yet somehow she still looked beautiful.

Catching his gaze, she smiled. He had small bits of dirt on him but apart from that, Sasuke was almost untouched by the blast. "Sasuke, can you run ahead and meet Zetsu at the bridge?" Madara's voice drew both pairs of eyes back to him.

Sasuke sighed and saluted. "Yes, captain." Stealing one last look at Hinata, he sped off into the trees. Hinata watched him go, a small part of her felt sad because she felt so comfortable with him. She was so focused on his disappearing body that she didn't notice that Madara was close.

By the time she had caught onto his closeness, she was against a tree, the hole in his mask level with her eye. She saw a flash of red in it briefly. "Hinata, I have a job for you." Her eyes that usually showed all her emotions went blank as she nodded.

"I want you to seduce Sasuke and then kill him, can you do that?" His voice was low and a threat was hidden behind it. She nodded once again, "Yes, Madara." He smirked behind his mask. _Excellent._


	16. Fool

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

* * *

It seemed that the Hyuga clan were not as strong as people said they were, their ex heiress had been placed under a genjutsu easier than any other shinobi he'd tried this on.

At least, he thought.

He was about to push himself off the tree, walk away and sing about how beautiful the world is, when he found himself against the tree, a kunai at his throat and white orbs glaring at him.

"Is that really what you expected me to say?" she pressed the kunai harder on his neck, drawing small droplets of blood. This had surprised him so much that he didn't have time to even think about using a jutsu.

His plan had been ruined; he'd gotten ahead of himself. He was stupid to think that someone who also possessed a Kekkei Genkai would fall for this, especially the Byakugan, the All Seeing Eye.

Veins crawled across her temples, reaching out to her eyes. "I saw through it from the very start." Hinata's grip on the kunai tightened, her knuckles turning white. It was taking everything she had to not slit Madara's throat.

She had never felt like this before. Yes, she had been fooled many times before, however she had never had someone try to brainwash her in an attempt to murder someone. She wasn't a tool, someone to use for your own dirty business and then throw away.

She had also never wanted to slit someone's throat as much as she does now. Was Sasuke's attitude rubbing off on her? Maybe, but Hinata is her own person. After growing up with having her friends sugar coat killing people, claiming that they were trying to protect the village had influenced her before.

Once she'd seen the ninja world from a different angle and learnt from others, she realised that killing someone is killing someone. If you asked another human if they had ever thought about killing someone and they said no, they're lying.

Madara's eye widened slightly behind his mask. "How?" he choked out, sensing the murderous intent radiating from the Hyuga. A smirk crept up on her lips, almost a perfect recreation of Sasuke's. She leaned in to his ear.

"I knew from the cave. I also know that you're not Madara Uchiha." Her breath tickled the side of his face as she pulled back, walking away. Madara snarled and turned, punching the tree.

He had been careless and had underestimated her, she seemed like a weak person but he could now say that her observation skills were level with Sasuke's, if not higher.

Hinata picked up her speed, focusing her eyes on Sasuke. She wanted to catch up with him and tell him what had just happened and to ask what she should do now. She had made an enemy of a dangerous man, one that goes by the name of Madara but is not a Madara.

She knows he's definitely an Uchiha, a powerful one, but not powerful enough to be Madara. She'd heard stories passed around about him and how powerful his eyes were, these eyes were not as strong.

Plus, he had one eye. Madara did not die with only one eye, he had two. The only thing that would go against that is someone taking it, someone like Danzo.

This person wasn't under edo tensei either; she'd be able to sense it. This was a human that has never died.

Sasuke sensed the Hyuga and slowed down to a slow walk, knowing she'd catch up within minutes even if he was going at full speed. He could tell something was wrong though, she smelled different.

She smelt like fire and anger, the kind he felt when he thought he'd found Itachi, only to realise that it was simply a clone, sent to give him a message. The memory made him clench his fist.

He had gotten so excited and felt so happy, thinking that he'd finally be able to kill the man who slaughtered his clan, his beautiful mother.

Hinata reached Sasuke's side, panting and pulling on his arm. He'd stopped and was staring at her, curiosity graced his features. She was bent with her one hand propped on her knee, her hair falling over her face.

When she looked up, Sasuke caught so many emotions in her eyes that he lost track. "Madar- No, he's not Madara. He asked me to kill you." She panted, watching his curiosity change into a frown.

"What do you mean?" he curled his toes in his sandals, digging them into the grass below his feet. Her breathing had calmed now, her pink face returning to the white it usually was.

"No time to explain, we need to run." She grabbed his hand and pulled him, pleading at him with her eyes. Sasuke didn't know what to think, was the Hyuga tricking him or was she really telling the truth?

He analysed her with his sharingan, taking in every last detail. What he found was shocking to him. Madara had tried to put her under a genjutsu twice, both times failing and not realising.

"But I can't just run, I mean…this is…" he started, his red eyes darkening to black once again. She bit down on her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, thinking of a way to get Sasuke to come with her. If Sasuke was being his usual self, there's no chance that he would.

Hinata had one choice. Leave Sasuke and the man who called himself Madara and run. She would never stop running. Opening her eyes, she released his hand and stepped backwards, dragging out the whole thing.

In such a short amount of time, she'd gotten attached to the Uchiha, she loved watching how he tried to supress his emotions around her, she loved seeing him blush slightly.

The Hyuga smiled at Sasuke, yet again confusing him. He just blinked at her, unsure of what she was doing. "Sayonara, Sasuke." She whispered, her mouth still curved in that small smile.

Then she was gone, with a wave of her dark hair, the hair that had caught Sasuke's eye so many times. It wasn't bright and it wasn't dull, it stood out to him. Others seemed to notice girls with hair like Karin and Sakura.

The scent of lavender and vanilla was still in the air, getting weaker. Sasuke looked down at the hand she had just held, the hand that she'd pulled on in an attempt to get him to go with her, to travel and run with her.

His heart hurt in a way he'd felt once before, the way it did when he found his parents dead with his older brother stood over them, a face deprived of emotion. Perhaps that was why he liked the Hyuga, she reminded him of his mother.

She had the same smile, the same speech patterns. She seemed like an innocent, nice person but had a side to her that rarely came out. A side that Sasuke was lucky enough to see.

Something wet slid down Sasuke's cheek, catching him by surprise. He held his finger tips to his cheek, tracing the trail. "Why am I crying?" he asked himself, trying to frown but being unable.

It felt horrible, he'd finally caught up to the girl he promised to protect and now here he was, watching her go and not doing anything about it. He knew Hinata was strong, but there were stronger people out there. People that would hurt her.

He couldn't make his mind up, should he follow her or should he just leave it, forget about her and carry on like normal?

All the time Sasuke was stood still, his fingers against his cheek, Hinata had reached a beach. Gazing out into the sky, the water seeped between her toes and the sand stuck to her sandals. A bitter wind whipped her hair into her face, hiding her identity from any onlookers.

The beach smelt like salt, making her eyes water. At least, that's what she told herself. She was crying again, something she'd tried to promise herself that she wouldn't do. She had to be strong and crying doesn't help anything.

Hinata looked ahead with her byakugan, searching for an island that didn't seem heavily populated but wasn't abandoned. It took her a while before she spotted one in the north-west area, about two days journey away.

She raised her hands, preparing to start her seals, when arms snaked around her waist, pulling her into a hard body. She began to panic at first, thinking it might be the masked man coming to kill her for knowing too much.

"Don't do that again."


	17. Promise

**I just want to say thanks to you all,**

**I thought I'd just get a few views and have this story done in 5 chapters but you guys seemed to like it so much I extended it. Thank you for reviewing etc, it honestly makes me smile.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. If I did, there'd be dragons.

* * *

Hinata froze, her whole body coming to a standstill. If it wasn't for her heart beating frantically, anyone would think that she'd be dead.

She'd been careless by coming to this part of the mist. Too focused on running to notice that where she is was eerily similar and brought back events no teenage girl should go through.

_"Hinata-sama, lovely to meet you." The man bowed his head, short brown hair standing up and piercing green eyes assessing his soon to be wife. She had been set up, been told that she'd be going on a mission only to be told that it was actually a ceremony celebrating her arranged marriage._

_The man couldn't have looked more pleased with himself, in his mind he had got a suitable wife. To say that she was attractive was an understatement. With fair skin and dark hair, permanent pink cheeks and an amazing body, he could compare her to a doll._

_Hinata nodded, forcing a smile. "My name is not important, but I ask that you call me something along the lines of dear or darling, I hear it can help build up the relationship." He reached down and grabbed her hand, kissing the top of it before winking._

_To Hinata, the kiss felt like something disgusting and the wink made it a lot worse. This guy was corny, vile and the opposite of what Hinata likes. She just nodded and snatched her hand away, placing it behind her back and discreetly wiping it on her trouser leg._

That night, he'd placed chakra restraints on her and had attempted to rape her. Even now, she couldn't get the feel of his hands off her no matter how many times she scrubbed at her skin. If it wasn't for Neji walking in, she would've lost her virginity to that.

The Hyuga gulped and prayed inside her head, she prayed that someone would come by and see her discomfort, anyone would do. Deep down she knew she wanted it to be Sasuke to rescue her, however she knew how his mind works and that it probably wouldn't cross his mind to help her.

"My fiancée, why did you run?" he whispered into her hair, breathing in her scent. She hadn't washed her hair for days yet it still smelt of lavender. He buried his nose in, his calloused fingers moving over her stomach.

"We didn't finish what we started, my dear, and I hate leaving things unfinished." Before she knew it, he was on top of her, pinning her down into the sand. He looked insane, as if he'd been tortured for several years and decided to take it out on others.

He looked like Sasuke used to.

Actually, no. Even though Sasuke seemed insane, he was still beautiful. This man was not beautiful, to her at least. When she had stayed with him for a few hours, she had seen many girls looking at him with hopeful eyes. "Take him." She'd murmured, meaning for them to hear but too scared.

He leaned down and began nipping at her neck, licking the bite marks one by one. Hinata couldn't scream, she wanted to but couldn't. Instead, she closed her eyes and let the tears fall down her cheeks.

Eventually, the biting and licking stopped and the pressure on her disappeared. She didn't care, she was too busy crying and trying to figure out what she was going to do to notice that Sasuke had silently killed the man, thrown him into the water and was now watching her.

Leaning over her on all fours, he looked down at her. Teeth marks and saliva were scattered on her neck, her cheeks flushed and covered in salty water.

Hinata swore she smelt Sasuke. It was probably just her imagination playing tricks on her, allowing her to wish that Sasuke had followed and would continue to follow her, protecting her.

Lifting one hand, he gently wiped her tears away with his thumb, his stomach clenching. If he hadn't let her run off by herself, she wouldn't be crying. He hated seeing her cry or in pain, that was the one thing that hurt him.

Someone as beautiful as Hinata shouldn't cry, shouldn't feel pain. They should be loved, held onto tightly.

Hinata slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see green eyes with a mad glint staring at her like she was a piece of meat. Instead, she was greeted by familiar black eyes that once held that mad glint but now possessed concern. A smile spread across her lips. "You came." She whispered , lifting her shaking hands up to cup his face.

Sasuke swallowed and nodded, a smile threatening to appear. He held it back, she wasn't used to seeing him smile and it didn't feel right to him. More tears escaped her eyes, her smile widening. He kept wiping them away, never breaking eye contact.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, staring, smiling, crying and wiping. Taking his hand away from her face, he slid it behind her back and lifted her into a sitting position, pulling her tight against his chest.

"Idiot, don't run off again." He scolded, speaking into her shoulder. Being this close to her made him blush slightly but Sasuke didn't care, he was just glad that she was okay. He felt her arms wrap around him, her skin felt like silk. "I won't, I promise."

Tsunade punched the Anbu guard out of her room, watching his body hit the wall. Shizune was cowering behind Tonton, the pig oinking angrily at the blonde woman. The rest of the Anbu in the hokage's office just stared, silent and unmoving.

The female Hokage turned on her heel and stared out at her village, hands clasped behind her back and a scowl covering her face. "Repeat that again." Her tone was sharp, showing that she was in a serious mood and was really pissed off.

The Anbu towards the left of her wearing a fox mask cleared his throat. "We were unaware of the danger they were in and we were able to recover all the bodies. However, one was missing. We believe they left a while a go on a mission but your records say different."

Tsunade nodded and sighed, allowing the ninja to take their leave. Shizune looked at her with a worried expression, cradling the now silent Tonton in her arms.

"I just can't believe the Hyuga clan have been wiped out."


	18. Accusation

**I was planning on updating like 2 days ago but i got sick :(**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto

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"What did you mean earlier?" Sasuke's chin was perched on top of Hinata's shoulder, her back facing him. Her white eyes stared out onto the horizon, smiling slightly at the setting sun.

"Well…um…I don't know if I should tell you this here because he might hear and…yeah." She murmured, her face heating rapidly. She knew Sasuke would expect the whole story, including the bit about her having to 'seduce him'.

The word made Hinata blush. In fact, anything to do with something like that makes her blush. Kiba used to tease her, saying that she's too innocent when it comes to things like that and then continued talking about it, laughing at how uncomfortable Hinata felt.

"Hn." They both fell silent, unsure of what to say or do now. Both had many questions going through their head, questions they wanted answers to but didn't feel like asking.

"There's an island not too far away, I was planning on going over there but…" the small smile faltered and her eyes dropped, looking down at her hands. It was then that she noticed Sasuke's fingers linked with hers. It had felt so natural that it flew over her head.

A few months ago, if you had told Hinata that she'd be sat holding hands and falling for Sasuke Uchiha, she would've laughed in your face and told you to stop being stupid, that she only liked Naruto.

Just seeing that name used to give her butterflies. Catching a glimpse of the blonde jinchuuriki would make her resemble a tomato with limbs. Now, it was always Sasuke, his trademark smirk implanted into her brain.

"We can go there now, if you want." He whispered in her ear, his heartbeat sped up at being so close to her. Throughout those long years spent cooped up with Orochimaru and Kabuto, he thought about Hinata. In his mind, she was always there smiling at him, a daisy wrapped around her finger.

Hinata turned her head to face him, her eyes wide. "You're really going to come with me?" a few strands of hair blew over her face, hiding the pink. His eyes softened and he smiled. The first real smile she'd seen in a while, the same smile he gave her when she was younger.

Hinata stopped breathing, her mouth opening slightly in disbelief. Sasuke's hand lifted to her face, moving the strands of hair away from her face and tucking it behind her slightly pointed ears.

"Why wouldn't I?" he tilted his head to the side slightly, kind of like an animal does when you say something weird to it. Her eyes were glittering, tears building up and relief written all over her.

The Hyuga threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, tears leaving wet trails down her cheeks. "Thank you, Sasuke." She mumbled into his shoulder, gripping onto him tighter.

He sat and blushed, awkwardly putting his arms around the girl that had just jumped on him. Sasuke hadn't expected Hinata to do something like that, usually she was shy and timid, blushing and fainting if someone made eye contact with her.

He didn't mind, though. Bit by bit, he would get closer to her; get more confident about being near her. Eventually, he would replace the daisy she wore on her finger with metal.

Konoha's residents were gathered around the hokage tower, worry etched onto all of their faces. Just five minutes ago, Tsunade had summoned all of them. Attendance was compulsory so everyone feared the worst.

Naruto and Sakura were stood at the front, tapping their feet. "I wonder what granny wants." Naruto muttered for the fifth time. Sakura just sighed, "She's almost as bad as Kakashi." The blonde haired male was about to smile at her when Tsunade's voice echoed, drawing the attention of hundreds.

"I have gathered you here today to tell you something…something terrible. Something we have seen before, but not for many years." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"The Hyuga clan, one of the most powerful and skilled clans to have every existed, have all been killed. Actually, I'm lying. We have one person we cannot find and their discovery is of great importance."

The fifth hokage paused to let everyone react. Several gasps travelled through the crowd, small whispers and sad looks. Naruto and Sakura had frozen completely, not even blinking when small bits of dust blew into their eyes.

"That person we can't find is Hinata Hyuga. I want to know when all of you last saw her. For all we know, she could be dead or have been kidnapped. However, there was no sign of a struggle apart from a few scuff marks in the gardens."

Her eyes scanned the faces, taking in the looks of horror.

"There is another hypothesis. It is believed that Hinata Hyuga ran away several days ago. The reason for that we do not know, so if you do have any information on her I beg of you, please come and speak to us." She nodded and walked away, leaving the crowd of people to gossip.

Tsunade entered her office, planning on sitting down only to see Kakashi sat on her desk, reading one of her former teammate's books. His one eye looked up at her once she entered, slowly closing the book.

"Tsunade-sama, I believe you forgot to consider one other thing concerning the Hyuga murder." If she could see all of his face, she was sure she'd see a look of complete seriousness.

"I did?"

"Yes, you forgot the possibility of Miss Hyuga being involved in the whole thing."


	19. Closer

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

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Tsunade stared at Kakashi, frowning slightly.

"What makes you think this?" Her eyes followed his hands as they slid the book into a pouch, patting it once it had been secured.

"Isn't it suspicious that she's the only survivor, she's missing and we have no record of her leaving the village?" He locked his eye onto hers, his eyes narrowed slightly. Tsunade went to speak but he held up his hand. "You may say that she could have been kidnapped. She could've wanted us to think that."

The hokage nodded, chewing on her lip. "What I don't understand is why." She lowered her eyes to the floor, trying to think of a reason as to why Hinata Hyuga would have run away and made it seem like a kidnapping.

"It's a well-known fact that she has been…mistreated in her clan since her mother passed away." Kakashi stood, stretching his arms over his head and sighing.

"Her mother isn't dead." He paused and his eye widened, his mouth dropping slightly under his mask.

"But…"

"She ran. Hinata isn't the only one who was mistreated. For all we know, she could've had something to do with it." Tsunade strolled over to the window, looking down at the village. A lot of people were still in front of the tower, groups of them talking.

"So, what will you do?" Kakashi stared at the door, a shadow covering half of his face.

"Fancy going on a trip, Kakashi Hatake?"

A hawk hovered above the ground, its beady eyes staring at Hinata. It scared her a little. She was staring at it when she felt herself being lifted. Turning her head in surprise, she saw Sasuke holding her up like a small child.

"Sasuke…what are you doing?" she blushed. Hinata knows that she doesn't weigh very much, a lot less than her friends. Being picked up by someone made her feel embarrassed.

"Putting you on." He let go of her, placing her gently onto the hawks back before climbing up and sitting behind her. "You might want to hold on to his feathers."

The hawk began flapping its wings, bringing up clouds of sand. She dug her fingers into the feathers, closing her eyes. Not many people knew that Hinata was scared of heights. In fact, only Neji and her mother know.

Sasuke laughed softly at her. He had no idea that the Hyuga was scared of heights. "Scared?" he murmured next to her ear, making her shiver. "N-n-no." her hair was flying everywhere.

"Oh, good. Then you'll agree with me when I say that the tree over there is a nice tree." He smirked.

Hinata's eyes opened slightly to see this 'nice tree'.

There was no tree.

All around her was the ocean, rocks pointing towards the sky with the blue crashing into them, turning white. Under the water, a school of fish swam dangerously close to the surface, going around and around in circles.

Her eyes were opened fully, a huge grin on her face. Everything looked so pretty from this high up, you could see so many things you wouldn't see on land. Sasuke watched, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Hinata was a fascinating person. She was scared of heights, yet found the view from above beautiful. She seemed like a weak and shy person but was strong and warms up to people easily.

Without thinking, Sasuke leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the back of her head, staying there for a while. Hinata blushed.

Sasuke had just done something…cute. She'd seen him do many cute things before, back when they were both younger. She wouldn't have expected him to still do small things like that now, not since his family were taken.

_"H-H-H-H-Hinata…" she turned to see Sasuke blushing, his hands behind his back and digging his sandals into the ground. He took a deep breath and pulled his hands from behind his back, holding out a bunch of daisies for her._

_He looked away to the side, the blush darkening slightly. "I p-picked these for y-y-you." Hinata was silent, staring at the flowers. Sasuke moved his eyes to the side, expecting to see her trying to suppress laughter._

_Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were watery, a smile on her face. "E-eh? Hinata don't cry!" He began to panic. He should've found out what her favourite flowers are before just going and picking the ones he felt like._

_"I'm crying because I'm happy, Sasuke." She took the flowers and grinned at him. "Thank you, I love them." He scratched the back of his head and grinned at her, the same grin he used when Itachi says he's proud of him._

"Hinata, we're landing." His voice brought her back to the present. Since she'd been with him, she'd had flashbacks of things she wouldn't have remembered if she hadn't spent this time with him.

She was about to reply when the hawks wings stopped and they dropped. She couldn't breathe, the air was getting pushed into her lungs but she couldn't breathe it out. Her face began to burn, bitter wind slamming into her cheeks.

As soon as it began, it was over. She could breathe again and her face tingled slightly. She turned her head towards Sasuke and he stared. Biting down on his lip, he tried to supress laughter. "Sasuke?" confusion was written all over her face, her mouth pouting slightly.

He couldn't hold it in anymore. Sasuke began to laugh uncontrollably, holding his stomach and crouching over. The Hyuga just sat, watching in disbelief. Everyone had said that Sasuke's laugh was creepy and arrogant, but right now he was laughing like a small child.

"W-what's so funny?" she blinked, feeling anxious. He had started laughing when she turned around so it must have something to do with her. Sasuke laughed more, tears running down his cheeks.

Looking up at her, his face was serious for a second before he continued laughing. Hinata just sat there, glaring at him. By the time he noticed, he had been laughing for five minutes.

"Sorry, sorry," he wiped his eyes, "You looked so funny with two twigs sticking out of your head, kind of like a devil." He sighed, trying to pull himself together. She blushed and began pulling her hair, trying to find the twigs that had caused the Uchiha so much amusement.

A hand held hers. She looked up to see Sasuke holding two sticks, smiling at her. "You look cute when you're embarrassed." Hinata stared, her face turning to the same colour as his favourite food.

Sasuke's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed. "I mean…uh…I got them for you, sorry for laughing." He scratched the back of his head while holding out the sticks, the same way he did when he was younger. Her look of embarrassment quickly changed to one of affection, a small smile on her lips.

Sasuke stared, his heart pounding. She'd given him this smile once before, when he 'married her'. Gulping, he leaned in closer to her, not breaking eye contact. His mouth was inches way from hers. "Hinata…" he whispered.

"Who knew you'd still be like this after all those years." A voice broke his daze. Jerking away, he glared in the direction of the voice. Sasuke's mouth dropped and his eyes widened. "No way…"

Hinata turned. It was as if everything happened in slow motion. Her whole body froze, her white eyes shrinking. A hooded figure stood, their face unclear. The only thing she could see was their eyes. Eyes that are almost identical to hers.

"Hello, Hinata dear."


	20. Meeting

"Grandma? You're alive?" Hinata choked out, tears spilling over her cheeks. The hooded woman nodded, her lilac eyes watering. "I…" Hinata's voice cracked. Jumping off the hawk, she ran clumsily over to the woman, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I was so lonely, grandma, so lonely." She cried into her shoulder, her hands bundling up bits of material. Her shoulders shook, small hiccups escaping from her mouth. Her grandmother buried her face into Hinata's neck, closing her eyes.

Sasuke watched, his heart wrenching. Seeing Hinata cry like this hurt him, seeing her happy hurt him. He could never have this happiness; he could never be reunited with his family. The Uchiha was jealous, too proud to admit it.

While he loved Hinata, he hated her at the same time. She was everything he wasn't, had everything he didn't. She always managed to bring out the softer side to him, the side he didn't allow others to see.

"Are you going to sit there like a lost puppy or follow us, Sasuke?" the woman's voice tore him away from his thoughts. He had been staring at them, a lost expression on his face. Hinata was now wiping her eyes with her sleeve and smiling next to the woman.

Hopping off, he allowed the hawk to disappear, leaving behind small wisps of white smoke. Sasuke stepped up to them, pausing a few steps away from them both. Moving his gaze over his shoulder, he looked at the deep forest.

If anyone had followed, they'd be lost by now.

Kakashi arrived at the gate. An hour late, of course. Walking up smiling, he held his hand up. "You're late. Again." Naruto pouted, leaning against the wall. Sakura stood next to him, cracking her knuckles.

"Sorry, sorry. I got lost." Kakashi scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. "Lost in one of your pervy books." Sakura muttered, making the blonde laugh. "So, Kakashi-sensei, where are we going?" Naruto stood, walking out of the gates.

"To find a Hyuga." He put his hands in his pockets and strolled out, Sakura trailing behind him muttering insults under her breath. The team walked in silence for a while, thinking of different scenarios that could happen on this mission.

"Why are we doing it then? Why not Hinata's team?" Sakura piped up, jogging slowly to catch up with her sensei. Kakashi glanced at her before sighing. "I don't know if it's trustworthy yet, so don't get too…excited over it." The two younger ninja nodded. "It's rumoured that she's been seen with Sasuke."

The woman slid the hood off her head, revealing lavender coloured hair and a wrinkled, but pretty, face. Leading them into a kitchen, she pulled out chairs for them and lit a fire, pouring water into a pot over it.

"Sorry about the house. Well actually, I should call it a hut." Standing on a stool, she pulled out three cups and a teapot, placing them gently on the counter. Shutting the cupboard door, she looked behind at the two dark haired ninja.

She had heard a lot about Sasuke and the things he'd done. The revenge he'd sought out for, how his mind revolved around killing others to compensate for the family he lost at a young age. Killing others after realising the truth about what his brother had done. The truth she knew about a long time ago.

Having experienced it herself, she knew the pain Hinata felt. The need to get stronger, the craving for attention and for someone to need her instead of her needing them. The mother she thought she'd lost, the secret herself and her father felt guilty for.

The two looked comfortable together, as if they had no differences. They looked as if they hadn't suffered, hadn't had their happiness snatched away from them whenever they managed to get a slight grasp on it.

Stepping off the stool, Hinata's grandmother dropped some tea leaves into the teapot and poured the boiled water in. She waited before pouring the tea into their cups, thinking of how she was going to tell Hinata about her mother.

_"Mother, I want you to do me a favour." Miu stared at her clasped hands, shaking. "If Hinata finds you, tell her I'm alive. Tell her why I lied. Promise me you'll tell her that I'm not going to beg for forgiveness once she hears that I lied to her."_

Sliding the cups over to Hinata and Sasuke, she sat and took a deep breath. "Hinata, can I tell you a story?" without raising her eyes from her tea, she waited. "Of course." Hinata smiled. Her grandmother told her stories when she was younger, mostly about princesses and flowers.

"In a small village, buried in the forest, there lived a woman. The woman was happy, she married the man she loved and had two children with him, two little girls. Both as beautiful as her. However, over time people began calling her things, bad things. They were jealous of her happiness and were desperate to ruin it. She didn't want her children to grow up seeing their mother in pain, so her husband came up with a plan.

She had to fake her death, deceiving her family. She spent her final days in the village with her eldest daughter, the one she had bonded most with. She didn't love her more than her younger daughter, she just felt closer to the eldest."

Her grandmother raised her eyes to look at Hinata. "The woman ran. She ran and ran, moving from place to place, trying to hide her identity. It hurt her a lot, having to leave behind her whole life like that. The woman is still moving, running and hiding."

Hinata looked blankly at her grandmother, Sasuke eyed her suspiciously. "Grandma, when you asked if I wanted a story I was expecting a happier one." She moved her eyes to the Uchiha opposite her before looking down.

"But it is a happy story, Hinata dear. It's a story about your mother."


	21. Liar

**I apologize for the lack of...good stuff (?) in the chapters lately, writing two fanfics is a lot harder than i thought**

**But I promise it will get better soon...hopefully...**

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Hinata was just about to lift the cup to her lips when her grandmother told her this. The shock hit her hard, causing her to drop her cup and spill the hot liquid all over her lap. The pain didn't matter.

"You're joking, right?" She laughed awkwardly, the same way people who when someone's told a bad joke. "You've got to be lying." Sasuke rested his chin on his hand, observing the two females. Hinata kept repeating herself, saying it's a lie and accusing her grandmother of not telling the truth.

Her grandmother looked sad, her hands wrapped around her cup and her gaze at the floor. "I feel terrible for keeping it from you, dear, I really do. It's why your father treats you the way he does." She lifted her eyes up. "You look so much like her, you act like her too."

Hinata stood up, the chair falling behind her and her fists slammed on the table, making the cups shake and small droplets of tea splattered across the table. "Father treats me like that because I look like my mother? What about Hanabi?" Hinata lifted her fringe. "Why doesn't Hanabi have to have this mark? Why is Hanabi the favourite one? Is it because she doesn't resemble mother at all."

She let her fringe drop, tears starting to trail down her cheeks. "Why do I get treated like that because I remind him of his wife? Shouldn't he care for me more." Her voice broke, small sobs echoing around the room. Sasuke felt his stomach drop seeing how upset she is. He didn't want to do anything, though. This was a family matter.

"It hurts your dad too. I'm sorry Hinata, I'm really sorry." Her grandmother stood and walked to the doorway, her head hanging down. "You're welcome to live here, I was about to leave to go to another island when I sensed your presence." She turned her head slightly and closed her eyes, holding back the tears.

"Sasuke? Why would she be with Sasuke?"  
"Those two are completely opposite, why would they be together?" the two ninja asked at the same time. Kakashi smiled. "There are some questions even I cannot answer. However, it isn't completely unbelievable that those two would be companions." Naruto and Sakura gave the white haired man a questioning look.

"They spent a lot of time together when they were younger. Sasuke would blush and stutter around her." Kakashi explained. Naruto burst out laughing when he mentioned Sasuke stuttering a blushing, choking out a "Get real, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura looked as though she'd seen a ghost. After all, it wasn't a secret that she had taken a liking to the Uchiha.

"Anyway, they even got married and stuff. I wouldn't put it past them to have a reunion and travel with each other. Who knows, maybe they'll get married for real this time." He smirked as he watched his students, their various expressions amusing him.

Hinata's indigo locks blew in the wind, bending like a flower during a storm. Her eyes were locked on the sky, arms wrapped around her legs as a way of comforting herself. She didn't know whether to believe her grandmother or decide that she was completely around the bend. Maybe the death of her mother had hit her hard, so hard her sanity slipped through her fingertips and dissolved into a fake story, a false idea and belief.

Sasuke leaned against a tree and watched. Her grandmother had left a few hours ago and Hinata had just sat outside, watching the clouds the same way he used to when he was questioning something. He desperately wanted to comfort her, to tell her to believe her grandmother but he himself didn't know whether the old bat was telling the truth.

"Do you think she could still be alive?" Hinata's soft voice reached his ears. If he didn't have good hearing, he would have completely missed the question. Looking up, he crossed his arms. "Who knows." He answered, closing his eyes and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that surrounded the island.

Feet moved in the grass, approaching him cautiously. Not paying attention, he let Hinata slide her arms around him and bury her face in his chest. It wasn't until he felt damp on his shirt that he realised she was crying. Opening his eyes and looking down in shock, his face contorted into a look of sadness and pity.

Pulling her closer, he buried his face in her hair and whispered soothing words, drawing small circles on her back. Even though seeing her upset hurt him, Sasuke loved moments like these. Moments when she sought out his comfort, clinging to him and opening herself up to him.


	22. Reunited

**Sorry about the late update.  
I probably won't be updating this fic as often as I have been before for a while as I'm focusing more on my other one for the time being.**

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Her sobs began to subside, leaving her with silent hiccups. Whilst she was crying, Sasuke had sat both of them down, still not letting her move her face from her neck. She clung to him as if he were going to be taken away, as if she was afraid of losing him too.

She lifted her head off his chest and looked up at him, pale eyes puffy and red. Her cheeks were dry now, leaving no trace of the tears that had been falling.

He allowed a small smile to make its way onto his lips, his eyes asking if she was okay. He tucked a strand of hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear, taking in the smile and nod she gave him.

A feeling of warmth bubbled in his stomach, making its way up to his heart. The smile never left either of their lips. "Sorry for wetting your shirt, Sasuke." Hinata giggled slightly, the sound becoming muffled when Sasuke brushed his lips over hers.

"It's alright, I don't mind." He whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. Hinata's breath caught in her throat, her heart thumping against her ribs. Heat crept up her cheeks, pink covering her pale skin.

Sasuke's eyes never left hers, his gaze only becoming slightly hazy. Hinata read every emotion that danced there, that dared to come forward. She saw his love for her, his longing for comfort and open arms, his sorrow for her. Lifting her hand to cup his cheek, she sent him every emotion back.

His smile widened, showing his teeth slightly. "Hinata," he murmured, his blush almost identical to hers. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second before opening them, staring into Hinata's again.

"Hinata, I-"

"Kakashi-sensei! Where are we?" Naruto's voice caused birds to flutter out of the trees, squawking and shouting to each other. Sasuke and Hinata's eyes widened, panic consuming them. They'd been found by the people they didn't want to be found by.

Hinata didn't want to go back to the village, back to her father and other clan members, the people who had caused her so much distress and pain. The ones who had made her mother leave.

Sasuke didn't want to go back to the village, the place that betrayed his clan. The place his brother had wanted to protect so desperately and would do anything and everything to stop any threat. Whether it was killing his whole clan or simply ninja from other villages, he'd kill if he was asked.

Kakashi whistled at the sight of the Hyuga and Uchiha, both of them close together. If you nudged them slightly, they'd be kissing. "Looks like I was right." He announced, putting his hands into his pockets.

Naruto was in utter disbelief. Sasuke was close to another human, allowing another human to touch him without slapping them away.  
Or killing them.

Sakura's mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide and watery. Jealousy built up in her, leading to anger. Why would Sasuke be with Hinata, especially so close? Why wasn't it her? Surely she should be the one in Hinata's position, she had loved Sasuke for years.

"S-Sasuke-kun…Hinata-chan…what are you doing?" she choked out, the tears falling free now. Kakashi glanced at her before returning his attention to Sasuke and Hinata. They had stood, facing them with their fingers entwined.

Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is a joke, right? You finally got a sense of humour, Sasuke." His laughter subsided when he saw the glare Sasuke was sending him, assuring him that he was not joking. "Then, you two…" Naruto started, the smile falling from his face.

Sasuke and Hinata looked at each other briefly before looking back at the jinchuuriki, medic nin and their sensei. Both nodded, their grip on each other's hand tightening slightly.

Sakura hugged herself and looked at the floor. She openly cried now, letting the gasps escape from her lips. "Why, Sasuke-kun? Why Hinata? Why not me?" She looked up at the Uchiha and Hyuga, hatred radiating off her. "What does she have that I don't?" she shouted, watching Hinata flinch slightly.

Sasuke sighed. "Do I have to explain myself to you?"

Kakashi stepped forward. "No, but Hinata does." Hinata looked surprised and flustered. "W-what do I have to explain?"

"Why you killed your clan."

Hinata froze, her heart felt as though it dropped into her stomach. Looking up at Kakashi, she looked completely confused. Confusion was replaced with terror, which was quickly replaced with despair. The tears she thought she' ran out of began to build up once more, her lip quivering slightly.

"What are you talking about?" her voice broke. Kakashi frowned. He had been so sure that she'd done it herself, that she'd fled and returned to kill them before running again, hiding from her village.

"You mean, you didn't-"

"Why would I kill my own clan? How could I kill my own clan? I'm not strong enough to beat my younger sister, let alone my own clan." She cried, letting go of Sasuke's hand to raise her own to her eyes. "No matter what they did, I wouldn't do something like that. Never."

Sasuke pulled her against him again, wrapping his arms around her. To his ex-teammates, it looked as though he wanted to cry too. Until he moved his eyes to them, giving them the same look he gave them when they were younger, a look of pure disgust and loathing.

"Leave." His voice held power, the type of power that could produce fear in people who claimed to be completely fearless. Even Kakashi felt a slight amount of fear at the Uchiha's voice.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Kakashi slouched slightly, lowering his head. The sound of metal scraping against metal was heard, making Kakashi raise his uncovered eye. Sasuke had his katana pointed at them, Hinata behind him and his eyes dark and emotionless.

"Then I'll make you leave."


	23. Power

**Feels like it's been years since I updated this even though it's only a few weeks.  
I wasn't going to update for a few more days but I don't want you guys to lose interest ^^**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

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Kakashi sighed and lifted up the headband covering his sharingan. He had hoped it wouldn't have to come to this, fighting Sasuke once again. He'd hoped that he'd return to the village and lead a nice life with his comrades.

Of course this was foolish, hoping that someone who had given up on their village and every person in it would actually return. To think that the cold blooded Uchiha would have a miraculous change of heart and go to his home town, the place that his clan had been slaughtered.

If the situation was as the hokage had planned, which unfortunately it had, Kakashi had no choice but to obey her orders; no matter how much it would hurt him to have to do that to one of his students.

_Tsunade sat at her desk with her elbows resting on paperwork scattered over the wooden surface, splotches of ink soaking in to her pale skin. A frown was embedded on her face, a look of regret in her hazel eyes._

_Naruto and Sakura stood next to Kakashi. Naruto slouched slightly and Sakura stiff, wringing her hands together and picking at small bits of threat on her gloves._

_"You're going to go after Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga. It's rumoured that they're together and currently heading to an island close to the Mist." She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, tension and stress evident in her posture._

_"If Sasuke refuses to come back and continues to threaten any of you…I want you to kill him." Her voice broke slightly, her eyes scrunching up._

_Naruto's posture improved, his hands balled into fists. "No way! I'm not killing Sasuke and neither are Kakashi-sensei or Sakura. You can't expe-"_

_Tsunade slammed her fist into the table, breaking it in half. "You think I want this?! I don't want to kill someone from my village but if it's the only way to protect everyone then it must be done." Her shoulders began to shake._

_"But-"  
"Go. It's an order."_

"I don't want to do this, Sasuke." He said softly, letting the cloak that hung off his shoulders slide to the ground and create a pool around his feet. Sasuke frowned and pushed Hinata back slightly more.

"If you didn't want to do this, you wouldn't have come here." Sasuke's voice seemed as though it was right next to his ear, breathing down his neck prepared to kill every single one of them.

"Naruto, Sakura, stand back please." Kakashi moved his hand out in front of them. If he was going to fight Sasuke, he knew that whoever fought him was likely to die. He had to let Sakura and Naruto live, it was his duty as their sensei.

Sasuke turned to Hinata, his expression changing to one of affection. "I'm sorry, Hinata." He whispered, stroking her lip with his thumb. She shook her head and smiled. "Just don't die, don't leave me." She murmured, tear drops glistening on her eyelashes.

Sasuke kissed her nose and smiled. "I promise."

He turned back to Kakashi, his eyes returning to their usual cold and emotionless state. "I'm not going back." His eyes flicked over to Hinata. "Never."

Kakashi smiled underneath his mask. "What if Hinata came back? Would you follow her? Would you give up your freedom of killing and not being tied down to something just for her?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and his body froze.

_"Hinata, Hinata!" younger Sasuke called out to the purple haired girl, smiling as she turned around to look at him, her big white eyes glittering._

_He stopped in front of her, panting. "Hinata, I got you something." He grinned. She stood blinking at him, waiting for him to continue. Unknowingly making Sasuke more nervous than she already was._

_He pulled a tomato out of his pocket, holding it out to her. "It's my favourite. Mum got me some and this was the last one. I want you to have it." He scratched the back of his head, gazing at her._

_She smiled sweetly at him, gently taking the tomato from him. "T-thank you, Sasuke. But are you sure?" her voice was quiet, her eyes now fixated on the tomato. It looked slightly battered but edible._

_"Of course I'm sure, Hinata. I'd give you every single thing that I love, even my favourite dinosaur. All of it for you."_

_"Hinata, if your dad ever made you get married to someone you didn't love, I'd definitely offer everything I have to save you, I promise."_

_"I'll give you every single hour you need to train, I'll use all my energy to help you. Every single breath will be for you."_

Sasuke clutched his head and fell to his knees, a throbbing pain attacking every part of his skull. Flashbacks were returning all at once, the words and pictures confusing him.

"Stop it." He screamed out, his fingers tangling in his dark hair. Hinata stared and felt confused. Kakashi wouldn't be able to put a genjutsu on Sasuke; he'd be able to dispel it easily.

Kakashi took this as an opportunity to pull a kunai out of his pouch and charge at Sasuke. Despite his age, Kakashi was fast. He moved effortlessly through the grass, almost as though he was floating.

This didn't go unnoticed by Hinata. Veins crawled up the side of her face and she watched every movement, every small burst his chakra gave. She waited until he was only a few steps in front of Sasuke before jumping in front and jabbing her fingers in through his stomach, ripping through flesh.

Kakashi froze, blood surging out of his throat and trickling down his chin. Hinata removed her hand and kicked him away. "I won't let you hurt Sasuke." She shouted.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura felt a strange fear consume them. Hinata's chakra levels had increased rapidly, flowing out of her in the form of light. The tips of her fingertips glowed, her hair raised slightly. The long strands curling and twisting around her head.

Kakashi covered the hole that she'd placed in his stomach, the blood slipping between his fingers and soaking into the soil.

"Hinata…" Sasuke murmured, his eyes dancing with amazement. She turned to him and crouched, cupping his cheek, giving him the smile that was meant only for him. "I'll protect you." She whispered, leaning in and brushing her lips over his before removing contact immediately and facing the three ninja who had disturbed their peace.

She placed her palms together, closing her eyes and a look of calm graced her delicate features. The chakra that was emitting from her darkened and grew, her hair billowing out even more.

"Hanketsu."

The light expanded in front of her towards Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura. They tried to move away from the chakra heading their way, the light that would surely kill them. The shadows wouldn't let them. They twisted around their legs and torso, rooting them to the ground they stood on.

They began to feel weak and tired, as if they had been fighting for hours without breaks. "Naruto…it's taking our chakra." Sakura gasped, struggling against the winding shadow.

Naruto jerked against them, trying his hardest to pull out of their tight hold. It was hopeless. There had never been a single person known to have broken away from this jutsu, a jutsu so powerful it was sealed away in the Hyuga compound, hidden somewhere that none of the elders know about.

Hinata had simply found it by chance, rooting around the flowerbeds and slipping onto the trigger that opened up to a dark tunnel, surrounded by a barrier.

She had learnt it off by heart, known the risks and exactly what it could do. Not thinking she'd need to use it, she pushed it to the back of her mind and simply relied on the jutsu's and techniques her family and friends had taught her.

Sasuke watched their bodies twitch, looks of pure terror on their faces. Kakashi's bleeding had stopped now, replaced with chakra oozing out. He watched the girl he'd loved for so many years finally show them how powerful she really was, that she wasn't just a weak child.

The light brightened momentarily before dimming slightly, eventually disappearing completely. They thought it was over, that this was her limit. Seeing relief on their faces made Hinata smile, laughter bubbling in her stomach.

"Good night." She whispered, her light voice being carried on the breeze that ghosted past them. Their eyes widened again. The last thing Sasuke saw was Sakura about to cry out before all three of them exploded, their bones and blood turning into dust and hanging in the air for a few seconds before they began to burn.


	24. Power part 2

**You all seemed to hate me for the last chapter so I've decided to upload part of the next chapter now**

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Sasuke stared, his mouth dry. "Did…did you kill them?" he choked out, his body trembling slightly. He had never seen anything like that, something that looked so sinister and painful.

Hinata looked at him, confused. "Of course not." She sat in front of him, intertwining their fingers together. "It's an imprisonment jutsu, not one that kills someone. I'd never be able to do that to them. They're trapped in a prison I created in my own mind."

The trembling stopped and Sasuke looked at her, even more confused than he was before. "But they had their chakra taken and they turned into dust…" he murmured, trying to get his head around the information the Hyuga had told him.

He had spent years training under Orochimaru, studying jutsu's and Kekkei Genkai. Never had he come across something like this, something so extraordinary and powerful.

Hinata smiled at him. "That's something you have to do, if they had chakra they'd be able to escape within seconds. Their bodies turning into dust, that's to fool others." Her smile faltered and her eyes became droopy.

"Hinata?!"  
"Sorry, Sasuke. It takes a lot." A weak smile returned before her eyes shut completely and she let darkness consume her.

Naruto and Sakura watched their sensei pacing, his brows furrowed and his fingers stroking his chin. The last time he had seen that jutsu was the third shinobi war.

_A dark haired female wearing a fox max and bloodstained white kimono stood in the centre of the battlefield. Everyone stopped to stare at her, muttering about how crazy she must be to stand in the middle of a warzone._

_The woman placed both her hands together, chakra pulsating out of her in the brightest purple he'd seen. Kakashi watched in awe at the beautiful woman, taking in every strand of hair that waved._

_A single word was carried on the wind, the noise sounding like wind chimes on a summer's day._

_"Hanketsu."_

He had been teleported with Minato at that point; he never got to see the whole thing. Of course, he'd heard about it off other ninja who had witnessed it. Some that had been hit by it.

"What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei? Do you know where we are?" Naruto rubbed his eyes. Having almost no chakra felt horrible. He felt weak, the same way he did when he was a child. Completely powerless and unable to protect the things he loved and cherished.

Kakashi looked at his two students, relief flooding him. Back then he had thought that they wouldn't survive, that they'd be killed in an instant.

He stopped pacing and plonked himself on the floor, crossing his legs. "Right now, we're in Hinata's mind. More specifically, a prison in her mind."

Naruto and Sakura stared at him, their jaws dropping before both began to laugh hysterically. Sakura slapped her sensei's knee, making him wince slightly. "Oh, Kakashi-sensei, you're so funny sometimes. There's no such thing."

Seeing the look of seriousness on his face, her laughter dispersed. Her happy expression faded, becoming more serious and concerned. "You're not joking, are you?" she whispered. Kakashi shook his head, looking down at the darkness below them.

"So…how do we get out?" the jinchuuriki and hokage's apprentice asked in unison.  
"It's going to take a while but I know how." Kakashi grinned.

Hinata opened her eyes to see a concerned Sasuke towering over her. "Ah, you're alive." He smirked, placing the back of his hand on her forehead. She groaned and tried to sit up, pushing against the hands trying to hold her down.

"You mustn't, Hinata. You used up too much chakra in one go and then absorbed three other peoples. It's a miracle you aren't dead or in a coma." She allowed herself to be lay back down, her eyes moving around the ceiling above her.

Sasuke stayed sat next to her. "I'm glad you didn't die, Hinata." He whispered. Placing his head on her chest, he played with her fingers. "If you had died, I don't know what I'd do."


	25. Dreams

**It feels like it's been years since i last updated this  
But it's summer holidays now so i should be able to update more ^^**

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_"Hinata…Hinata…"_

"Who's there?"

_"Don't tell me you've forgotten me, Hinata dear."_

"Who are you?"

A white light shone brightly in Hinata's eyes, blinding her. She instinctively closed her eyes for a few seconds, hoping it would disappear. When she reopened her eyes, her breath got caught in her throat.

Hills covered in grass, the colour so green that it looked as though it was artificial. Peeking over them was a tower with a small window at the top, ivy winding around it and reaching into the window.

Oak and pine trees were dotted all over the landscape, casting shadows for the animals that couldn't stand being in the sun for too long. Roses peeked out from the grass, the black and yellow stripes of bees standing out against the deep red.

Old marble pillars were crumbled, arches barely touching with more ivy on them than the tower that watched over the serene place. To the north-west glittered a vast pond, lilies floating peacefully on the clear water, and ripples from the fish disturbing them slightly.

_"Hinata."_

Hinata turned her head to look at the voice, her body going numb at the sight.

Her mother stood, a soft smile on her lips. Her hair swirling in the slight breeze. A white kimono hung loosely off her. She had her arms placed on a small pair of shoulders that belonged to Hanabi.

Hanabi's hair was tied in a neat bun on top of her head, a crown of white flowers wrapped around it. Her face bore the same smile and her kimono matched her mother's perfectly. Hinata's eyes moved slightly more to face Neji.

He was dressed in his usual attire. Except for his hair which hung loose, swirling and twirling in the same way her mother's was. He was smiling at her too. A peaceful smile, one that gave Hinata a lot of reassurance.

_"Hinata, we're so glad." Neji whispered.  
"So glad you're alive." Hanabi grinned, a tear rolling down her slightly chubby cheek._

Hinata felt tears build up in her pale eyes, her bottom lip trembling. "No, don't say that." She shook her head. "Don't say that. It hurts more."

Her mother's smile fell slightly.  
_"Hinata…"_

Hinata fell to her knees, crushing the daisies that surrounded where she stood. "Don't." she let the tears fall, bowing her head and raising her hands to her eyes. "Don't smile at me. Don't say things like that. It's my entire fault, so don't."

She felt soft palms frame her face, the familiar scent of jasmine enveloping her senses.

_"Nothing is your fault, Hinata." The three of them said in unison, their voices mixing and sounding like music_

"It is it's my fault you're all dead! It's all because of me." Hinata lowered her hands, relishing in the feel of her mother's thumb wiping away the tears.

_"But Hinata, I'm not dead. Neji, Hanabi and I. We haven't died."_

Hinata's mouth dropped slightly, her heart clenching. "Liar." She whispered.

Her mother's eyes flashed with hurt. _"When have I ever lied to you, Hinata?"_

Hinata clutched her heart, the tears falling faster. "You lied to me when you said you'd never leave, you lied when you said I'd become strong." Her voice grew louder. "You lied when you said father didn't hate me. You lied when you said I was beautiful."

_"Hinata, I-"_

She lifted her head and looked at her mother. "You lied when I said I wouldn't get hurt."

Her mother's smile disappeared completely, her lips parted slightly. Hinata lowered her head once again, strands of hair falling over her face.

"It hurts." She choked out in between hiccups.

Her mother pulled Hinata closer, wrapping her in a tight embrace. Hinata's sobbing stopped, the tears pausing. Her mother was warm, warmer than she remembered.

Oh, how she'd missed this embrace that had comforted her countless times, protecting her from her fears. The happy thoughts her mother had whispered to her and passed on, the tears she'd wiped away.

_"I'm sorry, Hinata. I really am." Her mother's voice was almost silent. "I'm sorry I caused you this much pain, I'm sorry I lied to you. I just wanted to protect you."_

_"I wish I'd taken you with me. Hidden you away from that place and taken you to a new one where you wouldn't be ridiculed and your strengths would be admired."_

_"You're not weak, dear. Not at all. You're the strongest person I know and I'm proud to call you my daughter. Don't you dare doubt that for one second. Don't doubt that I didn't think of you every day, from the moment I woke up to the moment I fell asleep."_

_"I didn't lie when I said you were beautiful. You caught the eye of an Uchiha and countless others. Nature surrounds you because it wants to get close to you, it wants to be close to something so beautiful and precious."_

Hinata slowly lifted her arms and wrapped them around her mother, burying her face into her hair. She wanted this moment to last forever.

The peace was quickly disturbed by a flock of birds squawking and flapping away. The marble began to crumble more and the ground shook. Her mother pulled away, her brows furrowed.

_"He's waking us up."_

Hinata's eyes darted around frantically, watching as the perfect scene began to crack. Her mother held her hand, dropping something into her palm and closing her fingers tightly over it.

_"Hinata, this is something I've wanted to give you for a while. Make sure you keep it. Use it to find me."_

Her mother stood, Hinata clinging to the hem of her Kimono. "Don't go, not yet." She pleaded. Her mother smiled and stepped further back, Hinata's fingers slipping off the material.

_"Don't worry, we'll see each other again."_

A dark tunnel surrounded them both, a small amount of light shining behind her mother's figure. Hinata reached out her hand, trying to grab her. "Don't leave me."

Her mother smiled at her and the light disappeared, a soft voice whispering three words to her.

_"I love you."_

Hinata's eyes snapped open, the darkness of the room enveloping her. She looked down at her chest that felt heavy to see a sleeping Sasuke. His face was peaceful, his mouth open slightly and his dark hair mussed.

A small smile tugged at her mouth, her face slightly stiff from the tears that had slipped out from under her eyelids and the foreign chakra in her system.

Sasuke opened one eye, his sharingan spinning. At the sight of Hinata with her eyes open, he felt a small amount of relief wash over him.

When she had been sleeping, her chakra kept fluctuating. When he'd checked on her, she was crying and yet there was still a smile on her face.

He'd then began to think about how many times she'd smiled in front of him, fooling him into thinking she was happy when in fact she was hurting. Sasuke had fallen asleep with these thoughts, his own mind whispering to him.

She lifted her hand to stroke his hair and feel the softness between her fingers, tickling her skin. Her fingers were wrapped around something. She frowned and opened her palm, her eyes widening at the sight of the locket.

The silver surface shone bright in the moonlight, the intricate carvings of daisies standing out. Sasuke sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What's that?" he mumbled.  
"My mother gave it to me."

He froze. "Did you just say your mother gave it to you?" Hinata nodded, her wide eyes filled with sorrow not leaving the locket for a second. She dangled it by the chain, letting it swing from side to side.

"How?" he frowned. Even when asleep he could sense another's presence. Masking their chakra didn't work either, thanks to Orochimaru's strange experiments his sense of smell was similar to a dog's.

"In a dream."

Sasuke's frown deepened, his eyes glowing red. He'd never heard of anyone being able to obtain objects during their sleep, he'd never seen anyone who had been given something in a dream and woke up to have it in their hands.

He watched the locket, his eyes narrowing slightly. It didn't seem suspicious. He moved his gaze to Hinata, butterflies dancing in his stomach as he saw the soft smile on her face.

Her pale eyes looked at him, the soft smile not leaving her lips. "She wants me to find her. Hanabi and Neji are with her too."

Sasuke looked at her as though she were stupid. "But your clan were killed…right?" he was positive Kakashi had said that. He hadn't sensed a lie either. They had been slaughtered in the same way his clan had.

Hinata shook her head, the silky hair brushing against the soft skin Sasuke always wanted to touch. Even when he was younger he wanted to run his fingers across her pale cheeks. "My mother's alive. I'm positive."

He stared at her for a few more seconds before turning his head away, looking at a plain wall. If her mother was alive, that would mean the old woman was right.

But it could be a trap. Someone could easily pretend to be her mother and draw her in. It wasn't rare that ninja did this, luring people in by showing them their greatest desires and laughing as they fell for it.

"Sasuke." She called out to him. He didn't turn to look at her. Seeing the hopeful look in her eyes would just hurt him more. He couldn't tell her it might be a trap either.

Sasuke was a selfish person, someone who liked to keep things for himself and use other people for his own benefits. He didn't want to see that smile go away; he didn't want to watch as the small bit of happiness she'd grasped on to slipped away.

Allowing her this happiness was the only thing he could do. He was cold hearted, a killer and slightly insane. This girl had turned into one of his obsessions, seeing her different expressions and learning more and more about her only fuelled this obsession.

Hinata wound her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, comparing his warmth to her mother's. Her mother's warmth was one of kindness, a reassuring warmth that told Hinata everything was okay and that there was nothing to fear.

Sasuke's warmth was different. It still reassured her, but in a way other to her mother's. It was something she couldn't explain, warmth that can't be expressed with words. He smelt like fire and lightning, elements that could destroy everything with only a small spark.

To any other person, this would be fearful. The thought of being close to someone who could destroy anything with ease should have scared her.

But it didn't.

She felt protected. A small part of her told her that he would never use it against her, that he'd be gentle with her and try to protect her. He wouldn't allow any harm to come her way.

So far, he'd proven that small part of her right. Whenever he was near her, his expression changed from being emotionless to being peaceful. Whenever he held her, he didn't squeeze her the same way Kiba did. He held her as though she was a porcelain doll, something that can break easily if you don't handle it with care.

"Sasuke, come with me?"


	26. Light

**Idk if I'm satisfied with this chapter or not but I've been sat staring at it for about an hour trying to figure out whether I like it or not so I just decided to upload it. Hopefully the next few chapters will improve ^^**

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Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura sat in a circle, a frown on each of their faces. They had spent hours discussing a plan, one that would either put them in a worse situation or get them out.

"So you want me to see if Kurama will help us?" Naruto asked for the seventh time.  
"It's something he should be able to do." Kakashi nodded. "But there's still a risk. We don't know for sure how strong this thing is." Sakura added.

Naruto smiled at the two shinobi. "Don't worry, I'll get us out for sure!" Sakura smiled back at the jinchuuriki. Kakashi gave him a simple thumbs up as Naruto closed his eyes. It wasn't necessary but it helped him concentrate.

_"Naruto." Kurama drawled. "Your chakra…where's it gone?" Naruto stepped closer to Kurama, perfectly comfortable with him now.  
"I don't know. We're trapped in a jutsu." He shrugged. "In someone's mind or something."_

_Kurama let out a sound that was similar to a human laugh. "You want to use me again?"  
Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled at the Kyuubi. "That'd be great."_

_Kurama's red eyes glowed in the darkness, his sharp teeth bared slightly. Moving his nose closer to the gate that separated himself and Naruto, he sniffed him, a low growl erupting from his throat from the scent he picked up._

_Naruto flinched slightly. "W-w-what was the growl for? Do I smell? Do I still smell like ramen? Do you not like ramen?" Kurama sat up, licking his lips._

_"You've got yourself involved in some nasty business, Naruto. I can get you out though." Naruto cheered, a huge grin on his face.  
"I knew you could do it! I need to treat you to something. What do you like?"_

_"I like it when you go away. Now listen." Naruto's smile fell, his features changing from joking to serious in an instant. "I need you to make sure you're touching both of them. Hold hands if you want but there must be contact."_

_Naruto nodded._

_"You then need to do whatever you do to get into kyuubi mode and then I'll offer up more of my chakra. If that doesn't work then there's nothing else I can do."_

_Naruto felt like hugging the tailed beast but decided against it. Kurama didn't seem like the cuddly type. "Is there any chance of Kakashi-sensei or Sakura-chan getting hurt?"_

_Kurama shook his head. Naruto gave him a small smile and waved._

He opened his eyes to hopeful looks off Kakashi and Sakura. "Well?" they both said. Naruto smiled at them.  
"We can do it." Sakura smiled back at him, her green eyes glittering.  
"Thank god, I thought I wouldn't be able to get the new book in this series I just started." Kakashi let out a sigh of relief.

Both his students turned to him. "That's what you were concerned about?" He nodded.

Naruto shrugged. "Whatever, let's just get out of here. The longer we spend in here the longer it'll take for me to get ramen."

He gripped onto Sakura and Kakashi's hand. Kakashi faked a blush under his mask. "Naruto-kun, you're very forward aren't you?" he raised the pitch of his voice, using his free hand to cover his mouth as though he was shocked.

Sakura hit him in the head. "Now is not the time, stupid sensei." Kakashi bowed his head in apology.

Naruto tried to activate his chakra system, begging in his mind for this to work. He'd finally gotten close to Sasuke, finally found an opportunity to bring him back home. He wasn't going to let it slip like every other time.

And Hinata, he'd located the missing girl; the one surviving Hyuga. He wasn't going to let her get away either. If she carried on running with Sasuke she was bound to get hurt or killed.

The familiar warmth and tingle of the Kyuubi's chakra began to flood his body, touching every inch of him. He didn't feel powerless anymore; he knew he could get everyone out of here.

Sasuke opened his mouth to give an answer when she pushed him away sharply, her hands holding her head. "Hinata, what's wrong?" he began to panic.

She screamed out in pain, her fingernails digging in and making crescent moon dents in her skin. "Hinata, answer me!"

She continued to scream, tears running down her cheeks. Sasuke sat still, his eyes wide and a mix of uncertainty and fear in his stomach. She was crying out the same way he had years ago, the same way he did when he had nightmares.

She gave a final cry before she went silent, her face frozen in a look of intense pain. Her mouth was still open but no noise came out and her hands fell to her sides.

The white eyes that usually held so many emotions all at once were blank, completely unreadable. "No way..." she whispered. "They escaped."

The darkness around them began to crack, light seeping in through them. Kakashi and Sakura looked around in awe, watching as pieces of the darkness fell and shattered like glass.

They were then embraced by the light, a feeling of movement passing over all of them. None of them spoke; none of them knew what to say. The sight had been so plain and yet so beautiful. Perhaps it was because they had only seen dark colours that the light seemed beautiful.

The light disappeared faster than it had appeared, shocking all three ninja. They were stood in a room as dark as the one they had just been trapped in.

"Did it all go wrong?" Naruto said softly, his aqua eyes filled with disappointment. Kakashi and Sakura looked at him sympathetically. They'd all gotten their hopes up, tasting freedom briefly.

Footsteps echoed in the dark room. "That's new." Kakashi muttered, putting his hand into his pouch. Naruto and Sakura stared at the direction the sound was coming from.  
"Is it Hinata?" Sakura whispered. Kakashi swiftly pulled out a kunai, holding it tightly in his palms.

The owner of the footsteps clicked their fingers, torches lighting up the grey stone walls. Tucked in the corners were crates and bags of rice.

"Akatsuki?" Naruto mumbled, bitter feelings making themselves known. No matter how many times he tried, he couldn't get rid of them. He couldn't forgive them for what they'd done to Konoha, his friends and the neighbouring countries.

A swirled orange mask with a single hole peeked out from behind the cloak. They walked with confidence, each step radiating power beyond the three shinobi.

The Akatsuki member paused, one metre away from team seven. They bowed their head slightly, greeting them as if they were guests.

"I'm so glad you could make it." Their voice was muffled slightly beneath the mask. The three remained in a defensive position, their eyes narrowed.

"If you would follow me." The figure turned on their heel and began to walk away. Team seven sent each other unsure looks. "I won't bite."

Kakashi stepped forward first, lifting up his headband to reveal his sharingan before following. Naruto and Sakura trailed behind him, frowning at their surroundings.

They reached the door the man had passed through moments ago. It was left ajar and through the gap they couldn't see anything apart from blackness.

Kakashi cautiously tugged on the handle, flinching as the hinges creaked. All three of them stepped into the room, their bodies freezing when they heard the door slam shut.

On cue, the torches that were fixed to the walls lit up again, casting shadows across the small room. They turned to try and get a better look of what this room held.

All of team seven's eyes widened, their faces filled with horror and fear.


End file.
